Remove the Mask
by SuntoryAngel
Summary: Akiza disappeared from her home shortly after she turned ten and no one has seen her for twelve years. Her parents have tried everything in search for their daughter and their hope rests with Yusei Fudo, a childhood friend of Akiza's. What will he find at the end of a trail soaked with mystery and violence? Rated M to be safe. Poll open, I have an honest question for my readers!
1. Clues

Hey, everyone! I have a brand new story for you! Hot off the typer! In this story, there is no separation of Domino city (Satellite or Neo Domino), it's just Domino City. Jack, Crow, and Yusei grow up in the same neighborhood as Akiza so they are childhood friends in this story. I came up with this as I watching the anime (for the sixtieth time, even though I only have seasons 1 & 2), and thought "What the heck? Why not?". So here you are! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds! Enjoy!

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 **Remove the Mask:**

 **Clues**

 **Yusei POV**

I looked up at the giant mansion before me, recalling all the times that I had come here as a child. "It's been twelve years," I murmured, knocking twice. "Maybe today you will be home."

The door opened to reveal the now wrinkled face of Akiza's father, Hideo. His eyes were more shadowed than usual, telling me what I already knew. "Hello, Yusei, come on in." He opened the door further and ushered me towards the sitting room as he asked their butler, a man around his sixties with a receding hairline, to bring drinks.

Taking a seat in the gray colored sofa, I noticed that her mother was nowhere in sight. "Where's the Mrs.?" I asked, accepting the glass that Mr. Tanaka handed me.

He sighed heavily as he handed Hideo a cup of steaming coffee. "The madam is feeling very heartbroken as of late, Master Fudo. She has not emerged from her the young mistress's bedroom for quite a while now."

A lump formed in my throat as Hideo rested his head in his hands. Seeing the parents of my closest friend in this much pain made my own seem small in comparison. When she had first disappeared, I would come over and sit in her room, expecting her to walk in with a smile on her face. It wasn't until after a week of that when I finally understood that she had gone missing. For the past twelve years, on the anniversary of her disappearance, I would stop by and check on her household...hoping that my best friends had finally come back.

"Yusei," Hideo's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "I-we have a request for you."

"Oh?"

"You and Akiza were especially close," he began. "When your family moved in across the street, she was the first to help you get settled. You two were inseparable and knew each other better than anyone else." His eyes rose to meet my own. "No one knows her better than you."

"What are you getting at?" I inquired, a little on the embarrassed side. Had we really come off that strong? We had been teased that we would one day unite the families, but we were young naive children and didn't understand their meaning.

"Maybe there's something you know that could help us. You may know something that could help us bring Akiza home."

"Believe me, sir," I tilted my head forward so that my bangs covered my eyes. "If I can help, I will do everything in my power to bring her home."

 **~L~A~F~**

 _What did I know that the police and detectives didn't already?_ I wondered, falling onto my bed. Yeah we knew each other, but I doubted that I could be of any help to them. They have already checked the places you liked to go; the library, the park down the street, they even took our friends' families in for questioning. No one knew what happened to you, it was as if you were carried away by an invisible force to some faraway place.

I bolted upright, the last train of thought echoing through my head. Invisible force... Jumping to my feet, I sprinted to the park at the end of the street and slid to a stop next to the little "garden" she had made near the north end. Memories flooded my head as I studied what was once her mud garden.

 _-Flashback-_

 _"Check it out you guys," one of the neighborhood kids laughed, pulling Akiza's hair. His name was Trudge and he liked to pick on anyone he saw as a weakling. "Looks like she's made herself a bed of mud."_

 _"Actually, it's a garden," she snapped, pointing to the neat rows she had made. "Daisies go in that first one, then it's tulips, daffodils, witch hazel, and then roses."_

 _Jack, Crow and I stepped forward as she whimpered, the fifteen year old giving her hair another painful tug. "Back off, mate," Jack smacked his hand as Crow and I faced his followers. "You better leave her alone or else we're going to have to make you."_

 _He chuckled, smiling wickedly. "Oh, I'm so scared of a bunch of six year olds who think themselves heroes for standing up for a four year old baby." Grabbing the front of my shirt, he used me to knock Crow and Jack to the ground. "Just look at you helpless little brats!"_

 _"Stop it!" I blinked in shock as the ground suddenly caved, forming a giant crater with Akiza in the center. Her short hair looked as if it was standing on end and there was a strange vibe in the air as she continued to shout at Trudge. "You're nothing but a mean bully! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" She broke down into a sobbing heap as the strange vibe suddenly disappeared._

 _Trudge, whose eyes had grown three times their size, pointed a finger at Akiza. "You freak! Look what you did!" We stood and gasped: the crater had grown and nearly destroyed the whole park! "You're a freak! A monster! A witch!"_

 _Jack slugged him across the jaw as Crow kicked his two followers in the shins. "Let's go! We have to take her home!" He helped her onto my back and we sprinted to her house._

 _-Flashback Ends-_

The crater had been filled with polyurethane and the park had been replaced with newer playground sets a few months after the incident. She never wanted to talk about it, so we never bothered to bring it up. Trudge and the other kids who had witnessed the event, on the other hand, called her a witch from that day forward. "At least this is a start," I sighed, sitting in the empty swing that she had used countless times. "Aki..."

"So," I looked up to see Crow and Jack approach. "Any luck?"

"None, but they have asked me to help in the search," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I think I have a start, but I honestly don't know where to go from here." I explained the train of thought that I had and they nodded in agreement, proving my suspicion that something was behind Akiza's disappearance. We all agreed that if we put our heads together, we may be able to find out what happened to her. I blinked in surprise as Jack threw me my red helmet.

"Let's go for a ride and come up with a plan," he simply stated, climbing onto his Phoenix Whirlwind. "Besides, I could use a cup of coffee."

 **~L~A~F~**

"Do you drink anything besides coffee?" Crow asked as we took our seats at one of the tables.

"Now that you mention it," he fingered his chin. "I haven't had any Blue Eyes lattes or ristrettos in a while. Waitress, get me a Blue Eyes latte with 2% and double espresso on the double!"

Crow shook his head as the waitresses disappeared into the kitchen fighting one another to fulfill his order. "What chicks see in you I will never understand."

"Back to the topic," I coughed, catching their attention. "How do we want to handle this?"

"One of us should head down to Security HQ and get the files. Since I'm more like a cop compared to the two of you, I'll infiltrate and snag the case files before they know what hit them!"

"You?" Crow scoffed. "You couldn't steal a penny off the street without getting caught."

"He has a point," I chuckled, earning a glare. "You do have a record of getting caught. I'll go down to Security and see if I can get the files. Meanwhile, Crow could go and search her room for any leads that someone may have missed."

"You can count on me," Crow nodded. "I'll go through the room with a fine tooth comb."

"What am I supposed to do?" Jack mumbled as the waitresses swarmed him, each holding a drink he had previously ordered. "There are so many to pick from."

I rolled my eyes, pinching my nose. A lightbulb appeared in my head. "Hey, Jack, whatever happened to Trudge?"

The second he heard that name he turned his full attention to me, his violet eyes blazing. "Last I heard, he was planning on becoming an officer! Why else do you think that I would want to go to Security?! I want to use his face as my personal stress ball!" The girls scattered at his yells, leaving the coffees on the table.

"We don't need to give them a reason to fight us," I pointed out, picking a macchiato and sipping it. "We need to form a partnership with them if we plan to get anywhere. Since my dad was one of the leading scientists in the city, I think they will allow me certain privileges."

"Look at you Mr. Special," Crow teased, smirking at me from over the brim of his own drink. "What happens if they don't let you access the files?"

"I've got that covered," Jack pipped up, slamming his fist down on the table. "First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to question Trudge and see if he worked the case at some point. That way, in case Yusei doesn't get anywhere, someone is at least productive." My lips lifted into a smile as I took another sip as Crow pointed out that he would be looking for clues that the police might have missed. "Knowing you, you're just going to end up demolishing the place, you know, since you're so clumsy."

"Clumsy?!"

I was surprised to feel relief flood my body. The last time that they had bickered like this had been when she first disappeared. Since then, they had become quiet and passive, nothing like their usual selves. They stood to butt head, nearly knocking the table over, and I just barely caught one of the extra drinks. The teacup was a light pink with dark red floral patterns around the brim and was filled with a double caramel macchiato, a drink that she had tried when we stopped by this very same cafe for snacks and had surprisingly liked it. I shook my head. Remembering that she liked that kind wasn't going to help us find her. Pulling out my phone, I made a note of it anyway. We couldn't be too cautious in noting anything.

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What do you guys think? Please leave a comment/review and let me know! Hope to hear from you soon!


	2. Dusting Leads to Discoveries

Hello, everyone! I have another chapter for you! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Dusting Leads to Discoveries**

 **Crow POV**

I smiled as Mr. Tanaka opened the door. "Hey there, old timer!"

"If it isn't Master Crow," he bowed lowly, gesturing for me to come in. "What brings you to the Izinski manor?"

"I was wondering if I could look around Akiza's room for any clues that might help," I pulled out a magnifying glass for emphasis. "Maybe I can find something that everyone else has missed. A fresh pair of eyes can really help an investigation like this."

He nodded. "You are quite right, Master Crow. I trust that you remember the way?"

A smile formed on my face. "As if I could forget. I'm not an old man like you, so my memory is just fine."

"Well, then," he chuckled, pointing down at my feet. "You probably recall how Mistress Akiza disliked you wearing your shoes in the house?"

I hastily kicked my shoes off with a nervous laugh and bounded up the stairs. If I were to accidentally track any sort of dirt into her room and she found out that it was me, I was a goner!

Mr. Tanaka followed me to Akiza's door. "Master Crow, I feel that I should warn you-"

"About what?" Opening the door to her room, I was mildly surprised to see her mother sitting on her bed and holding a picture of her. "Hello, ma'am." I gently knocked on the doorframe.

She raised her head and studied me with unfocused eyes. "Whose there?"

"Ma'am, it's me, Crow Hogan." I smiled as she stood and approached.

A small pained smile tugged on her thin lips. She had grown quite thin and her once olive color had now become dominated by white. "Crow, how wonderful to see you, she reached up and patted my cheek. "My, you've grown up, haven't you?"

"I did as you told me to," I chuckled. "I ate my veggies."

She shook her head, patting my cheek again. "She would be close to your age now..."

Mr. Tanaka nudged me to the side as she suddenly slumped forward, catching her before she hit the floor. "She has been unable to sleep or eat for the past couple months now. We fear that she may never recover."

"We will find her, we just need some time." I frowned as he placed a feather duster in my hand. "What is this for, old timer?"

"It's quite dusty in there," he chuckled, sending a teasing smile over his shoulder before the door closed. "Might as well do some cleaning while you're in there."

My jaw dropped. "Get back here, you old timer! I'm not a cleaning maid!" I looked down at the feather duster. "The things I do for my friends..."

 **~L~A~F~**

"When was the last time they cleaned this place?!" I wheezed as another cloud of dust rose from her bookcases. There was at least two inches of dust on _everything_! I wiped the dust from my eyes, attempting to bring the room back into focus, but fell backward as a massive sneeze shook my being. I groaned as one of the bookshelves caved and pinned me to the floor. "Oh, great," I groaned as a book knocked my head. "Tanaka's going to have my hide for this."

I reached up and grabbed the book, ready to toss it to the bed, but froze as I recognized the cover; it was pink with rose-like patterns with her name written in fancy gold calligraphy. It was her picture album! This could prove to be helpful!

Standing, I deposited it on the bed and continued my way around the room. The walls, which were a pastel pink, were lined with shelves that contained books thicker than my hand, which I recall that she had painstakingly organized by colors as well as the author last names. Talk about a bookworm! There was an easel and stool that faced her western window that looked out onto their large garden. There was a half finished picture of the three of us playing with an incomplete Akiza.

Something caught my attention as I flipped through her other pictures. There was a small spot on the windowsill that was dust free. Looking closer, I could just make out the faintest of outlines. I took a quick survey of the room and noticed that one of her plush toys and her deck was missing, Hideo had given them to her as early birthday presents.

The air was suddenly pierced with the sound of an engine revving, telling me that Yusei was calling. My fingers reached for my pocket...and found it flat and empty. "Oh, no! My phone must have fallen somewhere! Crap! Crap! Crap!" I lifted the bookcase and searched the room for any sign of my cell, fearing that the call would go to voicemail. I fell to my knees, yelling my frustration to the ceiling. "Where the hell is it?!"

"Crow, down here." I blinked, looking down at the floor to see that Yusei was shaking his head from around my knee that was in the middle of the screen. "Maybe you should try picking up the phone so that we can actually talk."

"Oh, right!" I sat on the floor and picked up the phone. "How are things on your end? Did Security give you the case files?"

He shook his head. "They refused, saying that I needed to be a family member or spouse to access the files."

"Well, she did pick you to be her husband anytime she wanted to play house," I teased. "That's close enough, right?"

"Anyway," he mumbled, giving me a sideways glare. "I would need permission from Akiza's parents to access them."

"Speaking of which, I saw the Mrs." I shook my head, sighing. "She hasn't been doing to well."

"So this is taking a major toll on her. Guess that means we're going to have to ask Hideo for permission."

I suggested that he send me the papers so that I could get Hideo's signature and that I could meet up with him and Jack later. We agreed to meet up around 2 at his place so that we could all go through the files, that gave me another hour to look around for more clues...or clean the mess I made. "By the way, take a quick look and tell me if you see anything missing." I turned the camera around so that he was able to see the room. "Look really closely."

"The bookshelf, for one," he chuckled, then he leaned forward, almost pressing his face to the screen. "Her Black Rose Dragon plush is missing."

"That's what it was!" I smack my forehead. "I couldn't think of it before. Anyway, look at the window sill. It was removed from where she had put it recently."

He nodded. "Good work, Crow. Be sure to take plenty of pictures before you leave, but after you put the bookshelf back."

"I get it, I get it," I grumbled, ending the call. It was going to take me forever to get these books back in their correct order!

 **~L~A~F~**

Plopping down on the couch, I sighed heavily as my hands and fingers throbbed painfully. That old timer of a butler happened to have a picture of how the bookshelf looked before I had accidentally knocked it over and instead of letting me see it, he played the "Hot-Cold Game". He quite literally drove me crazy with his "hotter...oops, ice cold...warmer...on fire" crap.

"Dont' get too comfy," I opened an eye to see Yusei walk in carrying two boxes. "We have a long night ahead of us." As he placed the two boxes on the table, Jack came in carrying two more and a briefcase.

I sweat dropped as a pile of files were dumped into my lap. "Security had all of these files on hand?!"

"Jack helped a little with that," Yusei chuckled, grabbing his own stack and settling in his favorite white arm chair. "Trudge proved to be quite helpful and more than willing to help us with our cause."

"It was nothing," Jack smirked, grabbing a file and settling on the other couch. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

Picking up the top file, I was surprised to find a photograph of her party paper clipped to the inside. She had just blown out the candles and was smiling up at the camera with a big grin. In the left hand corner, you could barely see the three of us behind her. The file contained what had happened that day according to witness accounts; mainly from her parents and some of the adult party guests.

I recalled that she was beyond ecstatic when she had been given her plush toy, but then I remembered the look on her face when she received her deck. Hideo had asked the three of us what she would want most and, of course, we told him she wanted a deck just like us. She used to watch us duel each other all the time but was unable to join in because of her lack of a deck. So, while the Mrs kept Akiza busy with party preparations, he had taken us around town to gather cards for her.

"It isn't here either," I murmured, finished searching the boxes. "Her deck was missing from her room too."

"Her favorite plush toy AND deck are missing?" Yusei sat up, placing his file on the armrest. "Those two were her favorite things in the world."

"Take a look at this," Jack held up his file. "Akiza's maid, Martha, was there at the party but no one bothered to ask her any questions."

"What are we waiting for?" I asked, standing and grabbing my helmet. "Let's go pay her a visit.

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What do you guys think? Please leave a comment/review and let me know your thoughts!


	3. Spicy Gossip

Hey, everyone! It's nice to see that people are enjoying the story so far! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds. Please let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Spicy Gossip**

 **Jack POV**

"Well, look who decided to visit!" Martha smiled as we pulled up next to her home. Ever since Akiza had disappeared, she had decided to establish an orphanage near the older part of town. We had stopped by every once in a while wondering if she had seen or heard of anything on the streets about Akiza's disappearance, but even the streets were quiet. "My, you boys have certainly grown up in the past four years."

"It's good to see you, Martha," Yusei said, returning her hug. "It appears that you have been doing well."

"Yeah," Crow chuckled, pointing out the curious faces pressed against the windows of the orphanage. "How many little ones you taken care of now, looks like nearly twenty."

"Thirty-four, to be exact," she corrected, patting his shoulder. "Place your D-wheels inside the storage shed and join me in the dinning room. I'll make some coffee."

"Those little brats better not touch my ride," I growled as we finished putting our runners away, eyeing them as we made our way to the dinning room. "If one of them so much as touches my ride-"

"C'mon, Jack, lighten up," Crow rolled his eyes, smiling at the children. "Don't you worry about him, he's just upset that he didn't get his coffee today."

"We were up all night taking notes too," I grumbled as we took our seats and were given steaming cups of coffee. "I more than deserve a cup of Blue Eyes coffee!"

"Akiza's father asked us for our help in picking up where the police left off," Yusei explained as she gave each of us a questing look. "We were going through the files and taking down any notes that we thought could be useful."

She nodded. "It was upsetting when they declared her missing persons case cold and told us that they were no longer investigating it. Have you boys found anything helpful?" We briefed her on the notes that we had gathered so far; her missing deck and plush toy, her picture album, the incident in the park, and noting her favorite coffee. She sighed, folding her hands on the table. "It's hard to believe that she's been missing for the past twelve years, poor girl."

"We were wondering if you've heard anything yet," I said, sipping my drink. "What's the word on the streets?"

"Well, no one matching her description has appeared, if that's what you're wondering," she shook her head. "The only thing on the street is the underground dueling going on."

"What's been going on?"

"A lot of the area duelists have been sent to the hospital suffering serious injuries, each declaring that they dueled something inhuman." She shook her head, rubbing her temple. "They've established a new rule that requires all duelists to be off the streets by ten. The underground duelist like to come out around eleven, and any duelist that happens to be out past the curfew is taken in for questioning."

We looked to the door as a knock sounded and a girl with turquoise colored hair that was up in twin ponytails poked her head in. "Martha, Unagi was wondering if he could take everyone to the park."

"That's fine, Luna, thank you for letting me know." Martha nodded, gesturing for her to come in. "Boys, this is Luna, she's been helping me out around the orphanage for the past few months. She and her brother like to come here when their parents are away on business trips."

The girl shyly smiled up at us. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"Luna, come on! I want to go practice dueling!" A boy with matching colored hair burst through the door, wielding a duel disk. His movements froze as he caught sight of us. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"As a matter of fact, you are," I smirked. Something about this kid just begged for him to be picked on. "We adults were in the middle of a very important conversation."

"Oh really?" The boy crossed his arms over his chest. "I count three adults and an oversized infant."

My temper flared. "What was that, short stuff?"

"Leo, don't be rude!" Luna reprimanded. "I'm surprised you don't recognize them."

He tilted his head, looking from one of us to the other. "Now that you mention it, they do look kinda familiar."

"Don't blow a gasket with all that thinking." I smirked from over my drink.

"Go take a peek in the storage shed," Yusei hinted as Crow shook his head and mumbled something about younger generations being oblivious. "Something should click then."

I counted down the seconds as he darted out of the room and shook my head as he shouted incoherently, suddenly reappearing next to me with a slack jaw. "What was that you were saying just a few minutes ago?"

He slipped his duel disk off, holding it out to me. "Will you sign my disk? I"m sorry for what I said!"

"Hard to believe you didn't recognize the top three turbo duelists in the city," his sister giggled, earning a glare.

"I'll sign it on one condition," I said, pulling out a permanent marker and signing it. "You let me know if you hear anything suspicious, anything at all." Leo nodded and dashed out of the room once Yusei and Crow had signed, closely followed by his sister. Noticing the strange looks directed you way, I explained that having more eyes and ears could prove to be helpful.

We agreed that branching off for a while to get some rest was as good as any place to start. Yusei and Crow decided to stay at Martha's to visit a little more while I decided to hit the streets to do some thinking. Nothing could beat the feeling of my runner and the wind against my face...except Blue Eyes Coffee.

 **~L~A~F~**

Shrieks filled the air as I pulled up to my favorite cafe. Dismounting, I casually tossed my helmet to one of the waitresses and sat in my designated spot underneath one of the white umbrellas. "I want a macchiato with a mocha shot and a croissant with toasted cheddar cheese."

Not three seconds later, the barista appeared next to my table, my order in her hands. "Here you are, Mr. Atlas, sir," she smiled, placing the dishes before me. "Enjoy!"

"Thanks." I lifted the cup to my lips and paused, recognizing the cup. It was the same one that Yusei had noted; light pink with almost wine red floral decals. Shrugging my shoulders, I continued to sip my drink, relishing the creamy yet rich taste.

"Are you sure that you should have used that cup?" I heard one of the waitresses ask the barista. "You know that _that_ customer always requests us to serve their order with that cup." A customer likes this cup so much that they ask for their drinks to be served in it? The cup didn't look like anything special, it was just an ordinary cup.

"I'm not going to take back Mr. Atlas' cup," the barista shook her head. "I'll just have to deal with them when they get here."

"Miss," I waved her over. "Could you tell me a little about this customer that likes this particular cup?"

The barista fidgeted hesitantly. "Well, Mr. Atlas, sir, with all due respect-"

"When Jack Atlas asks a question, he expects an answer." I lifted my head, staring down at her.

Her face flushed a bright red. "They've been coming in for the past few years, always requesting a double caramel macchiato to be served in that particular cup."

"What does this bloke look like?"

"I don't know, sir," she bowed. "They wear a mask of plaster so we don't know what they look like. We don't even know if their gender, they speak with a strange machine that distorts their voice."

I waved her away as she apologized. So a strange customer wearing a mask shows up and demands the same type of coffee in this specific cup. They even go as far as to hide their voice. Glancing over at the barista, I noticed her nervously watching the clock above the door. Her lips were trembling, but they formed soundless words as the square clock began to chime: "First, they duel someone to build an appetite for their meal."

"Are you saying that they order something with their coffee?" I asked, standing and placing my empty cup on the bar. "What do they order?"

She jumped at my sudden closeness, her cheeks tinting pink. "T-they order a strawberry turnover with raspberry glaze as well as a lemon poppyseed muffin."

"And where does this person usually sit?"

She pointed over by the south window; the window that faced the west part of town. "Thanks for the coffee, miss, it was delicious, as usual," I said, turning and walking out the door. "If only I knew where this person liked to duel, I would go and challenge them myself."

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What do you think? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!


	4. Unexpected Assistance

Hey, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! Sorry that this took so long, but I had a lot on my plate. Without further ado, please enjoy! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Unexpected Assistance**

 **Yusei POV**

I rolled my eyes as Jack left, already knowing where he was headed. Why couldn't he last longer than a few hours without a cup of coffee? A tug on my jacket pulled me from my thoughts and I looked down to see Leo looking up at me. "What's up?"

"I just so happen to know how we can find the underground duels," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's a friend of mine and has a knack with computers."

Crow chuckled. "Sounds like a miniature you, Yusei."

"Is that so?" I asked, ignoring Crow's comment.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, and his uncle works with Security. He happens to be one of their best officers."

This could actually benefit our search. If we had eyes and ears close to the Security, we could widen our search area with their high technological equipment compared to ours, or our lack of equipment. "What's his name?"

"Leo, don't go dragging Dexter into this," Luna pipped up, moving to stand next to her twin. "You know he doesn't like it when volunteer him for things without his permission."

"Aw, come on," Leo grumbled, proving that his sister was speaking the truth. "This is his big chance to meet the three most incredible turbo duelists that ever lived!"

"They can find their own way of tracking down the underground duels," she continued. "I'm sure they'll figure something out."

A lightbulb turned on in my head. "As a matter of fact, I may have already come up with an idea." I flinched as Martha flicked my head. "What was that for?"

"I know that look on your face all too well." She politely asked for Leo and Luna to leave the room and once the door had closed behind the twins, she turned back to face me, a hand on her hip. "Let me guess, you're thinking of going undercover and participating in these underground duels."

"I think it's a great idea!" Crow nodded, shrinking a little as she glared sideways in his direction. "How else are we going to find the locations of the underground duels going on?"

"Doesn't Trudge work for Security?"

I grimaced and spoke in time with Crow. "No. Way."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that you boys have never been close, but it wouldn't hurt to ask." she paused, flicking our heads as we scoffed. "What am I going to do with you boys? To think that the Izinski family asked you to find Akiza, what were they thinking?"

Anger flared in my chest for the first time in years, shocking me to the core. Ever since Akiza had disappeared I had become more stoic than a rock. Very rarely do I ever get riled up or overly emotional, so why did her words anger me so much? I blinked as my pocket suddenly vibrated and pulled out my phone to see Jack's contact ID flashing across the screen. "Yeah, Jack, what's up?" I swiped the screen, placing it on the table so he could see the other two.

"You chaps interested in finding some underground duels?"

"You bet." I nodded, looking to Crow and earning a smile. "We were actually thinking the same thing."

"Now hold on a minute," Martha intervened, a familiar stern look on her face. "You boys honestly think that I'm going to sit by and let you go?"

"That's what I like to hear," Jack continued, pulling up a map and showing us a factory over on the north end of town; the oldest and most dangerous part. "This is where the underground duelists like to gather, according to my source. She's even been so kind as to agree to slip us past the front doors." He shifted the screen and revealed a familiar waitress from the cafe we liked. She had long platinum hair gathered into two piggy tails that reached her knees, very dark chocolate skin, and piercing gray colored eyes. "What do you think, chaps? Should we take her up on her offer?"

"I say we go for it." Crow gave me a thumbs up. "Let's do it!"

Martha sighed, shaking her head. "I can't stop you, but promise me that you'll all be careful."

"We will." We chorused."

 **~L~A~F~**

"Yousure this is going to work?" I asked, skeptically looking at my appearance as Jack's source, Vanessa, studied me from various angles. She had styled my hair into an Elvis-like look and had switched my natural black for a nearly blinding orange. Instead of my jacket and black cutoff tee, she insisted that I wore a burnt orange colored tee with a black vest and distressed brown cargo pants with military boots. I, thankfully, had gotten off lightly.

Crow's hair had been gelled and flattened after being dyed a dark emerald green and were bleached on the ends. He was forced to trade in his attire for a baggy yellow sweatshirt and green cargo shorts with sandals. He looked like a hippie reject...scratch that, an incredibly _miserable_ hippie reject. "You can't be serious..." he groaned from under a dark cloud as she placed a pair of round spectacles on his face that matched my own.

"Tough up, baby," she cooed in her thick French accent as she adjusted his multilayered bead accessories. "No one will ever suspect that you're Crow Hogan."

"Cheer up, it's not that bad." I raised an eyebrow as Jack finally emerged from the changing area. His hair had been spiked and dyed platinum, he was wearing a bright purple shirt with tails and black leather skinny pants decorated with tons of studs and buckles. His shades, like ours, were white with purple colored lenses, but they looked like they belonged with his get up more than ours. "When was the last time we looked this dashing?"

"We look like disco rejects," Crow grumbled, catching a glimpse of himself in the nearby mirror that she had hung up. She had arrived at the garage a few hours after we had left Martha's and has been working on our "transformations" nonstop.

She took a step back, studying the three of us. "You want to get in, don't you?" I asked her why she was helping us and she merely shrugged. "Call me crazy, but I thought that you three might shed some light on one of the duelists. I can't have someone going around and endangering the duelists." She explained that she was in charge of pairing up duelists as well as distributing the spoils and assisting any duelist that is in need. "It's my job to oversee the duels and every duelist's well being is my top priority. I am the designated health specialist, after all."

I nodded. Her answer was understandable, but it caused a lot of questions to rise, questions that I was sure that we would find. "Then let's get going."

~L~A~F~

"What are you three supposed to be?" A duelist snickered as he entered the factory building. "Freaks."

I sweat dropped as a tick mark appeared on Crow's head. "Maybe we should go inside instead of hanging around the entrance. We could divide and conquer for a while then meet up later to go over our finds." Turning, I worked my way to the west end of the factory as the duelists were paired up.

"Hey, you," a duelist wearing spiked clothing approached. "You're new here, right?" He extended his hand while tilting his head so that his long black hair shifted out of his face. "The names Tonio, and I'm in charge of this place. I hear that you wanted to participate in some of the duels. You really think your friend could be down here of all places?"

His tone suggested that he was skeptical and who would blame him? Why would someone from the tops be all the way down here? "We just want to cover all the bases, that's all," I answered. "Are you the one who picks out the duel pairs?"

"Sure am," he gestured to the gathering duelists. "I already have them sorted out, so you're going to be a spectator for tonight."

I nodded. "We'll consider tonight an introduction to the roster."

"I like your attitude," he laughed, thumping my heartily on the back as he turned to address the duelists. "You all know the rules, so I shouldn't have to repeat them. For newcomers, there's no discrimination between winners and losers. There will be no physical violence during or after the duels. There is plenty of lodging and supplies for everyone, so no ganging up on one another. Break any of my rules," he paused, glaring at each duelist in turn. "You will find yourself in a very unfavorable position."

Every duelist nodded obediently as they began activating their duel disks. They have obviously heard that speech quite a few times, and it appeared that a few have been on the receiving end of the warning. Things seemed to be organized and well thought out. Some of the duels were quick, lasting a mere ten minutes, but there were a handful that lasted nearly an hour. There was nothing out of the ordinary that Martha had heard about.

Just as I was preparing to head back to our meeting spot, the slightest of movement near one of the doors on the second floor caught my attention. I quickly made my way up the stairs after casting looks to Crow and Jack, moving my back to the wall as I approached the cracked door. My movements stalled as a child's yell followed by a string of curses from a much lower voice came from the other side. My arm rose to cover my face as the door literally exploded off its hinges and smoke billowed from the room.

I grunted as something collided with my chest, causing me to fall backwards onto the concrete. Hands grasped the front of my shirt, clinging to me as if I was a life jacket as I sat up.

"Stay there, out of the way." A distorted voice barked from the room's depths followed by the sounds of multiple monsters. Jack's note of what the barista had said about the customer's distorted voice rang in my head as the child clung to me. Standing, I backed away slightly as a large figure appeared from the smoke, holding his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture and his pale eyes wide with fear and locked on something within the room. The voice continued as the man came to a stop, his back against the railing. "You are nothing but trash, yet you meg for the same mercy as the child did?"

Sweat began to bead down the man's brow as a red glow began to emit from the room. "It was a mistake, I swear! I thought that he had taken my wallet!"

"That's a lie!" The child cried as I placed him on his feet, pointing an accusing finger at the now cowering man. "You were the one who stole my piggybank! I had saved money up so that I could get a pack of new cards since my last few were stolen!"

"You filthy little-" The man's words stalled as the glow grew, becoming blinding. Sounds of metal bending and sounds that were almost animalistic filled the air. After a few seconds, the light receded, revealing the man in a crumpled heap on ground floor! There was a large hole in the railing where the man had originally been! Most of the people were keeping their distance from the man as he remained motionless, only two stepped forward and removed him from the building, most likely taking him to the nearest hospital. None of them seemed surprised by what had just happened, and I was unsure of how to take their reaction.

I leapt into the room in time to see a shadow leap out the window and without another thought, followed them into the night. The figure was a little shorter than me, not much taller than Crow, and they had a slim build from what I could see when their cape-like coat billowed in the wind. Something bothered me as I followed them down the alley. The barista had said that there was a duelist that liked to duel in front of the cafe. Could this person be one in the same? If so, why would they be here? "Wait!" I shouted as they darted around a corner a few paces ahead of me, but all I found was a dead end when I turned the corner; the figure nowhere in sight.

"You lost them?" I turned and nodded as Jack and Crow appeared behind me. They told me that they had been around for quite awhile, and that there was a very slight chance that they may have any information that could help us. We agreed to come back tomorrow night, and went our separate ways.

I was just about to start my engine when a hand came down on my arm. "I heard it..." The girl twin, Luna, looked up at me with tears in her eyes as her brother came up next to her. Where had they come from? "I heard a deck crying in pain, so I came to see if I could do anything to help it..."

"She can hear duel spirits," Leo stated, taking one of her hands as she wiped away her tears and fixed me with his eyes. "I've never seen her this upset, so something big must have happened. She said she felt your deck here too, so I knew that you guys would be going off whatever Martha told you."

"We are looking for a friend that disappeared a couple years ago, and we thought that they might be here. I don't think they are here, but we can't ignore what's going on." Dismounting, I dropped a knee and placed my hands on her shoulders. "If you can do what you say you can, will you tell me what you felt or saw?"

She nodded. "I saw a red glow coming from this area, and there was an awful sound ringing in my head. It seemed to be crying out in pain." Her head lowered as she squeezed his hand. "I heard another voice, but it was very faint and I almost missed it. It was crying out, it kept calling for something...or someone."

"I believe you," I nodded. If she was able to sense duel monster spirits, then we may have a chance of finding Akiza. Rolling up my sleeve, I revealed the dark colored dragon head tattoo on my forearm. "I received this a few years ago during my duel against Jack during the Prix."

"I remember that!" Leo rolled up his own sleeve and revealed a similar odd mark on his own arm. "That's when we received these marks." Luna held her arm up and showed hers. "So we are all somehow connected, right?"

I nodded. "I know of someone who can help us understand these marks, he's an old friend of my father." Standing, I pressed the call button on my D-wheel and the other two's faces appeared. "Hey, we need to meet at Goodwin's place tomorrow. I have some new info." They nodded and the screen went black.

* * *

Well? What did you guys think? Please leave a comment/review and let me know!


	5. Shattered Pieces

Welcome to another chapter! Hope you have all been well! It's a week until Christmas, so it's been very busy for us! This chapter will cover more about the Crimson Dragon, but Goodwin and his brother won't play too big of a roll. In this story, there is only one bad guy and Goodwin isn't it. Who will it be? Without further ado, please read and enjoy! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Shattered Pieces**

 **Goodwin POV**

I smiled as my brother came through the door. "Roman, brother, what can I do for you?" He nodded his head in greeting then turned and held the door open. "I see you have brought visitors. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable."

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Goodwin," Crow scratched the back of his head as Yusei put his hands on the shoulders of two young children. "We were wondering if you could tell these two youngsters what you told us when our marks appeared." They hesitantly rolled up their sleeves and revealed markings on their forearms; one had a claw and one had a heart.

"My word," I gasped, kneeling and examining their marks more closely. "So you found two more pieces."

"I think that you should tell them the story that you told us during the Grand Prix," Yusei took a seat to my immediate left. "I believe that they might be a part of this."

I returned to my seat and folded my hands. _[A/U: We all know what happened, so I will just skip this portion and add it later.]_ "The fact that you two bear symbols of the Crimson Dragon tells me that you are to help in the fight against this evil."

"Why us, though?" Leo asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're just a couple of kids! We don't know anything about the world and how it words!" His words faded into unintelligible dialect until his sister nudged his ribs with her elbow.

"Don't you two worry about a thing," Crow smiled, patting their backs. "With us, you'll do just fine!"

"I'm not so sure about that," I intervened. "There is still one sign that hasn't appeared, and it is beginning to worry me. Could it be that the final signer hasn't been born yet, or is it already among us and we just aren't aware of it yet?" The signers before me all looked to the floor; silent. "Until the last signer is found, we need to keep everyone under safety supervision."

"We are big boys, Roman," Jack snapped, glowering at me. "We don't need your so called protection."

"I was going to suggest that you three look out for the young ones here; none of SS officers are trained enough for what might happen." I looked to the twins. "We will send someone to check on your parents, though, and let them know that you are being taken care of." I raised an eyebrow as Leo scoffed and informed me that their parents were rarely home. "In that case, may I suggest that they stay with one of you three or possibly stay here with brother and myself?" We agreed that they would stay here with Roman and myself. As they left, I looked down at Leo and Luna, bending slightly at the knees so that I was closer to their heights. "Why don't we go by the Tops and grab a few of your things before dinner?"

* * *

 **Yusei POV**

"Where do we go from here?" Crow asked as we climbed onto our D-wheels.

"Let's head back to my place and go over the files again! I'm going to go check SS for anything I might have missed!" l yelled over my shoulder before merging with traffic. If there was even the slightest chance that we missed something, I would never forgive myself. The Crimson Dragon was going to have to wait; finding Akiza was my first priority. Mina was coming out of headquarters as I pulled up, Jack's previous and Rex's current assistant. "What brings you here?" I asked, dismounting.

"I was sent by Mr. Goodwin, he wanted me to look into Luna and Leo's parents info." She raised an eyebrow. "And yourself?" I told her of my last visit and how I had to jump through loops to receive the info that we needed. Her brows furrowed. "Let me guess, Trudge was the one making things difficult." I nodded. With a sigh, she gestured for me to follow her into the station and asked to speak to Trudge.

In less time than it took for me to park my D-wheel, he appeared in front of us, leaning against the front desk with a coy smile on his face. He was a large man, mid thirties, dark skin with scattered light scars, and a very edgy face. He was dressed in a standard white button up shirt and dark colored pants with black shoes, except that the first few buttons were undone; probably intentional. "Mina," he cooed, his voice low and verging on husky. "I see you missed me already." He reached for her hand, only to blink in surprise as she snatched it form his reach and poked his nose with her finger.

I had to bite my lip to hide the snicker that threatened to escaped me as she ripped him a new one. Right before my eyes, the big bad bully from childhood withered and became a little puppy with its tail between its legs; and it was quite the sight to see. They used to be coworkers, so she knew just as much as he did, if not more.I turned away as he began to fight back, not wanting to see what was about to transpire. For the next few minutes, there was nothing but hushed whispers and occasional mentions of standard protocol, but relief flooded my body as Mina called me over, a box in her hands. "Wow, you are good." I smiled, accepting it and turning my attention to the defeated Trudge that looked like he had just gone through a war. "Thanks for all the help, Trudge." He merely grunted, his shoulders hanging in defeat.

 **~L~A~F~**

I couldn't stop the feeling of anticipation as I drove back through the streets of Domino. The fact that there had been one box that the police had held onto suggested that there was something in its contents that could possibly give us the break through that we needed to find her. Pain suddenly pierced through my arm, nearly sending me into ongoing traffic. Switching to autopilot, I rolled up my sleeve to find my mark glowing brightly. A familiar roar echoed in my ears as my consciousness was ripped away from my body to face the giant flaming dragon. It was then that I noticed that one of its clawed appendages was missing. It seemed to lock eyes with me as Stardust appeared next to me, then disappeared. "What does this mean?" I asked, looking up at my old friend. It only growled softly as it looked out into the span of space, the stars flying past us as silently as the darkness that was closing in.

 _"Yusei!"_

My eyes shot open as a voice echoed in my mind. I scanned the surrounding area and found myself parked before my place. The streets were quiet and the lights were on, telling me that Jack and Crow were inside; there was no one else on the streets. The voice echoed again, but it ended in a scream, causing me to hold my head in pain for a few seconds. The monitor on my ride began to chime, telling me there was a call.

Luna's worried face filled the screen with the Goodwins and her brother arguing in the background. "I heard it again, Yusei! The same voice crying out for help, but this time it was one voice, not many!" I told her that I had heard it too and her face relaxed slightly as I told her that I was at my place. We ended the call and I took the box inside, but I was unable to shake the uneasiness that was in the pit of my stomach.

They instantly quieted when I placed the box on the coffee table, all of our eyes locked on the container. There was a million things going through my mind, all of them were centered around the box's contents. What were we going to find? I lifted the lid and revealed its contents in the faint white light coming from the fixture above us... I was speechless.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Jack muttered, picking up a photo of Akiza that had the word "target" written in red ink above her head. "Is this some sort of joke?"

Crow held up a document. "This says that she was kept under strict surveillance at the request of the parents because of a strange phone call they received. The caller wanted them to release their custody over Akiza and hand it over to an unknown organization. They never stated who they were nor who they worked for, but they insisted that she be removed from her parent's care due to their lack of understanding her abilities."

I heard Jack say something about this being absurd before everything around me faded, leaving the document and photo in my hands the only things that were in focus. The document was dated two days before her disappearance, and the photo's time stamp was the same day. The document continued off of the one Crow was holding, telling of the phone calls becoming threatening and strange vehicles beginning to park outside the manor. My blood ran cold as I studied the photo: it was a snapshot from the surveillance camera near Akiza's room, and it showed her in the arms of a masked man wearing all black clothing. The only thing you could see were a pair of eyes that were the color of toffee. What made it worse was that her bedroom door was open and it revealed the three of us, sleeping on the floor.

* * *

 **Crow POV**

I held up a hand, stopping Jack's words, as Yusei suddenly stood from his chair, dropping the document that he had been holding. "Yus?" His eyes rose to meet mine, but they were glazed over and dark, a look that I haven't seen since Trudge bullied her on the playground. "What is it?"

For many seconds, he remained silent, his body showing signs of an internal battle. When he finally spoke, his voice was almost growl-like and broken. "...she was taken...from right under our noses..." His fist lashed out and hit the wall, leaving a dent and blood as his knuckles split open. "...we were right there..."

I picked up the photo and felt my chest tighten as I saw us beyond the bedroom door, catching onto why he was acting like he was. "Yusei, this isn't your fault!"

"Yes it is!" he nearly roared, turning to face us and revealing the moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes. "I was right there! I was _right there_ and I didn't save her!" His voice cracked as he fell to his knees, his fists banging on the floor. "Dammit, why didn't I save her?!"

Jack and I could only watch as our best friend tore himself apart, knowing that no matter what we said or did, he wasn't going to quite. For what seemed like an hour he stormed about his house raking his hands through his hair. He picked up the picture when he finally calmed down, saying that we needed to increase the clarity of the image to see if we could bring any features of the man's face into focus and then go from there. I sighed as he disappeared into the kitchen, the sound of the coffee pot and beans grinding soon filling the air. Standing, I walked into the kitchen to see him leaning against the counter, one arm over his eyes. "This isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is."

I slammed my fist on the counter next to him. "Like hell it is! We were right there too! We are as much to blame as you are! This isn't all on you, Yusei! This is on _all_ of us!" I grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him within inches of my face. "Do you understand what I'm saying?! If you don't stop beating yourself up over, we wont have a prayer of finding her! You need to get your head out of the ground and focus on finding her!"

"Don't you think that finding her has been on my mind for the past twelve years?!" He shrugged me away moving past me and pouring himself a cup of coffee. "There hasn't been a single day that I haven't thought of her!"

"We haven't forgotten her either!" I grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look at me. "You aren't the only one who misses her and wants her back! We shattered too when she disappeared, you weren't the only one!" His eyes grew wide at my words, but wasn't done yet. "The second I realized that she was gone, I thought that I had something wrong to upset her! I blamed myself for being late to her birthday party because of my stupidity! I was supposed to finish a lesson early that afternoon, but because of my stupidity I didn't get done until later that evening! I wasn't able to contribute to her birthday because I was so late! And then to wake up the next morning, finding her bed empty..." My words stalled, my voice cracking. "...I thought it was all because of me..."

"Crow..."

"And he may not want to admit it, but Jack feels just as guilty as you and I do," I continued, releasing him and taking a few steps back. "He was also late to his birthday, but he wanted to be fashionably late. He was four hours late but earlier than me! He even forgot to get her a gift and said that he himself being at her party was better than any gift! It still haunts him today that those were his last words to her!" I locked my eyes with Yusei's. "We all shattered when she disappeared, not just you."

He nodded, took a deep breath and handed me a cup, pouring me some coffee as well. "And now its time that we pick up the pieces."

I clinked his mug against mine. "Together."

* * *

What do you guys think? Let me know in comments! See you all next time!


	6. Bird's Eye View

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! I don't own rights to YuGiOh 5Ds!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Bird's Eye View**

 **Crow POV**

We were silent for the rest of the night, each of us unable to take our eyes from the photo that we had found. The fact that she had been taken when we were there and yet that we didn't remember it was making us question the figure holding her. None of us were heavy sleepers; even the slightest sound would have woken us up. There should have been no way that they would have made it inside and then left with her without waking any of us. I stood, catching their attentions. "I'm going for a ride. I can't think straight just sitting here."

Jack yelled at me to grab some coffee just as the door was closing behind me, but I didn't respond because of the thoughts going through my head. I couldn't help but think back to her birthday as I slipped through traffic, heading nowhere in particular; wherever the pavement lead, I guess...

 _Flashback Starts_

 _The door opened to reveal Mr. Tanaka. "Let me in already!" I pushed against the door, her present tucked under my arm. "I'm late!" He chuckled, but let me through. I could hear her and Yusei chatting upstairs, so I kicked off my shoes and dashed up the main staircase, wiping away any traces of dirt from my clothes so that I looked nice. They were laying with a soft of disposable camera that she must have been given as a gift. "Akiza," I called, opening the door and revealing my gift. The words stalled as she stood, her face lighting up with a smile. She was wearing a light pink skirt with frills and a dark red top that almost matched her hair, which was styled into two tails and curled, that had lace around the neckline. "Happy Birthday!" I croaked as my body stiffened unconsciously as her eyes studied me from head to toe, taking in my brown shorts and dark orange tee that had a printed black bow-tie at the neckline._

 _She stood and walked up to me, her fingers gently rubbing my nose as she giggled. "Were you in such a hurry to get here that you fell on your face? It's completely covered in dirt!"_

 _"Twice..." I admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of my head as she pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped my face, earning a groan from me. "Akiza-a..." I pulled away and held my present out to her. "I'm really sorry that I'm late, so here!"_

 _As she took my gift, the light caught on something around her neck; she was wearing a silver chain that had a strange charm hanging from it. It looked like a small rose was enclosed within a teardrop shaped glass bead. I cast a look at Yus, wiggling my eyebrows and earning an eye roll. I almost missed the look that came over her face as she removed the tissue from my gift, making me glad that I spent four months of my allowance for it. "Crow, I don't know what to say!" She held up a small gold bracelet. Holding it up to the light, I saw her blink in surprise as our engraved names appeared within the inside of the bracelet, each name in a different font._

 _"I thought that you would like it, you know, since you're a girl and all," I chuckled, nearly jumping out of my skin as she hugged me tightly. "A-Akiza!"_

 _"Thank you!" She pulled back, revealing a teary smile. "Thank you for coming!" I blanched, asking if she didn't like the gift. She shook her head. "Getting to spend it with my friends is the best gift I could ask for."_

 _Flashback Ends_

My brakes squealed and I slid to a stop just feet from the edge of a ledge. "The bracelet and necklace weren't in any of the boxes," I murmured, dismounting and removing my helmet. "They weren't in her room either. Her parents could be holding onto them, but maybe they aren't..." My thoughts swam and entwined as the sun began to rise; I had spent all night driving around and thinking. I winched as the tail mark on my arm began to burn. "What now?"

It felt as if I was vacuumed from the ground and into the sky, a familiar roar ringing in my ears. "Black Wing Dragon," I smiled as it rushed to me, almost smashing into me. "What's up, old pal?" He roared loudly in my face. "Is that so?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "You need a hobby, my friend." I yelped as he picked me up by the back of my vest, his wings flapping and we were off into the sky. "Whoa big fella! Where we going?!"

He roared, dropping into a nosedive and pulling up at the last second before one of the newer buildings in the city. It was owned by a newer company, the Arcadia Movement, I think. They were a group of scientists that were coming up with new biotech for hospitals and such. It gave me a look before it tossed me through one of the windows, roaring in a manner that sounded a lot like- "Yeah, keep laughing, you giant feather-brain," I yelled, rubbing my backside as I stood. "What was that for?" The sounds of people talking caught my attention, bringing it to a large TV that was hanging above the door.

There was a young boy sitting in a chair, talking to someone that was out of the camera's visibility. "I couldn't help it!"

"So you are saying that it moved on its own accord?" an adult spoke from somewhere.

"She made mad," the boy cried, his eyes beginning to tear over. "My big sister can be such a meanie, but I never meant for her to get hurt!"

The picture switched to one with a young girl no older than four wearing a duel disk and holding a card. Her face was crunched, beads of sweat trickling down her brow, then a look of horror crossed her features as the hologram of whatever monster card she was holding appeared. She screamed, dropping to her knees and holding her head, the card falling to the ground as the monsters wavered then vanished.

"What the hell is this?" I whispered as the scene changed to one similar to the first, only a different child was sitting in the chair. "This doesn't make any sense!" My mark burned as the scene changed again, revealing a figure standing before a window, a porcelain mask that had red lines stretching from the eyes to the bottom edge in its gloved hand. Everything froze as they put it on and pulled the hood over their head. Jack's words of what the barista had told him rang in my head as I was returned to my body, leaving me breathless. "Was that..." I shook my head, jumping on my ride and speeding off, calling Yusei's home phone to relay what had just happened.

 **...**

I anxiously waited as the duels began, my eyes darting around the factory. When I had gotten back and explained everything, we all agreed that this person needed to be questioned. If this duelist was the same one that paid regular visits to the bistro, then we were headed in the right direction via elimination. I was near the south side while Yusei was north-west and Jack was north-east. Since we had been up all night we decided to try to get some rest before coming, but needless to say that we got zip. A yell came from the duel ringleader, symbolizing the dueling's conclusion for the night a few hours after our arrival. There had been no sign of the mystery duelist. If they weren't here, then where would they be?!

My body leaped into action as someone outside screamed. Did they finally show? I slid to a stop as I threw the doors open wide, revealing one of the side building replaced by a giant pile of rubble. "What happened?!" I asked, walking towards it. My mark burned sharply as a figure appeared in the smoke- a figure wearing a porcelain mask! Adrenaline shot through my body as it turned away and began to run. "Wait!" I cursed my short legs as I chased after them, losing them in the same manner that Yus had.

"Damn it!" Jack cursed, leaning against the alley wall. "What now?"

Yusei grabbed his phone and began typing. "We now know that they are the same person, so tonight wasn't a total waste."

"But it doesn't bring us any closer to finding her!" I yelled, waving my arms. My movements stalled as something reflected the light coming from the phone. Kneeling, I reached into the darkness and blinked in surprise as my fingers closed over something warm. My chest tightened as I opened my hand, revealing a small gold bracelet. "There's no way..."

An invisible force shoved us against the wall, the bangle falling from my grasp. It seemed as though time stood still as a cloaked figure approached, knelt and picked up the bracelet. It seemed to glance at each of us, it hard to tell since its eyes were shadowed by the mask, then spoke in a distorted voice. "Do not let me find you here again," they walked forward, its gloved hands rising to place the bangle inside the cloak's folds. "I will have no choice but to do away with you as I have with the others who have interfered before." It turned and stalked away, disappearing into the darkness of night.

We fell to our knees as the force finally released us. "Correction," I groaned, rubbing my neck. "There are TWO masked figures; one at the bistro and one that hangs around here. There's something bothering me though. The mask that I saw was different than the one this duelist was wearing; the mask that I saw had red lines under the eyes, this one had black lines."

"Can't anything be easy for once?" Jack grumbled, dusting off his behind.

"The more we search, the more questions arise instead of answers," Yusei huffed, taking down another note. He turned and glanced our way. "What do you think?"

I stood. "We keep going, duh!" Jack nodded in agreement.

The corners of Yusei's mouth tilted. "That's what I thought you would say."

We headed back to our rides, ready for food and a shower.

 **...**

I was just stepping out of the bathroom as my phone rang, the caller ID said unknown, so I let it go to voicemail. There was a delicious smell coming from the kitchen that made my stomach growl: pizza! My feet seemed too slow as I hurried down the hall and slid to a stop next to the island where four boxes rested. "Please," I prayed, peeking inside them one by one. "Please let there be..." A gasp escaped me as I lifted the last one's lid open. "Yes! Garlic Parmesan sauce with pineapple and bacon pieces!" My phone vibrated again just as I was about to take a bit from a slice, unknown caller ID flashing across the screen once more. "If it's important, they will leave a voicemail..." I sighed, folding the slice and shoving it into my mouth. "So good!" It vibrated again as I reached for another slice, my temper reaching its point. "Do you not know how to leave a voicemail?!" I nearly shouted into the mouthpiece.

There was silence for a few seconds, tempting me to press the end button. A slow song began to play as my finger hovered over the end button, the notes eerily lingering in the air for a few seconds before they faded away. It sounded like a badly tuned piano, the sharps and flats sounding dull and lifeless.

"Hello?" The notes paused, then continued, followed by an equally eerie humming. My eyes widened as the tune echoed in my head; I knew it! The words left my lips as the music continued. "Catch me as I fall...Say you're here and it's all over now...Speaking to the atmosphere...No one's here and I fall into myself..." The music stalled, fading into silence before the line went dead. I looked at the phone in my hand in disbelief. That was Whisper by Evanescence. What was all that about?

* * *

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments!


	7. Never Send an Fiend

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds. Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Never Send a Fiend to do a Human's Job**

 **Jack POV**

I peered at Crow from over the rim of my drink as he spoke about a strange phone call he had received. "You were pranked, you miserable bloke." Placing my cup down on the coaster, I rolled my eyes as he began to protest. "You've been had, just admit it already!"

He slammed his fist on the table, rising to his feet and baring his fist at me. "It wasn't a prank!"

"If I recall correctly, that song was recently released, yes?" I grabbed another piece of veggie pizza. "Many people have been listening to it, I hear the student from the academy are taking quite a liking to it." It felt as if I being torn away from the room by an invisible vacuum, a deafening roar filling the air. My eyes narrowed as a giant winged thing came towards me. "Red Dragon Archfiend!" He roared in response as I landed on his back. "Where are we going?"

His wings flapped strongly, increasing our speed. I could vaguely sense the feeling that he was unamused. A chuckle rose in my chest as he conjured an image of Crow and Yusei in my mind. In other words, he was telling me that they were pathetic.

"Why don't we show them what an archfiend can do?" I shouted, a smirk finding its way onto my face. The police station came into view and my smirk could only grow. "So you want a crack at Trudge now, do you?"

* * *

 **Crow POV**

"That..." I steamed, plopping back into my chair as he stormed out. Sometimes I wondered if he really cared about anyone other than himself... Shaking my head, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. It didn't make any sense, why would someone call and have that song in particular play on some creepy old piano? And why was the caller ID "Unknown"? I tossed my phone to Yusei. "Think you could try to trace it?"

He nodded, pulling out his own phone and connecting it with mine via a random cord that he pulled from his pocket. His eyes darted across the screen as numbers began to appear. "I can't pinpoint it's exact location, but it looks like it came from a payphone towards the center part of town."

I threw my hands up into the air. "Oh, that's just great! There's a MILLION payphones in the center of town!"

An apologetic look came over his face. "Sorry, but it's the best that I could do." He blinked in surprise as it began to vibrate. Holding it up, he showed "Unknown Caller ID" flash across the screen. "You should answer, that way I can witness the call myself."

I nodded, catching it as he tossed it to me and pressed the talk button as well as the speaker. "Hello?" A lump formed in my throat as the creepy piano began to play. "You were playing _Whisper_ , right?" The only answer I received was the music's eerie trills. There was something different this time though, the humming sounded more...feminine. The humming suddenly stopped, the piano music fading into silence. "Hello?" I held the phone at arm's length as a roar sounded, the speaker cracking in and out from the strain. "What in the-" There was another roar, only this one was a bit on the softer side, almost growl-like before it became dominated by static. I raised an eyebrow at Yusei as he hooked the phone back to his own and received the most confused look I have EVER seen on his face. "Yus?"

"This doesn't make any sense," he struggled for words as his free hand struggling between motioning every so often at the phone and raking through his hair. "There's no signal too trace! It's as if it up and disappeared!"

* * *

 **Jack POV**

"Are you telling me that you have nothing on the underground duelists that have been hospitalized?" I all but shouted. "What kind of Security personnel are you?" My lips tilted into a smirk as the faint outline of a mini-sized Red Dragon Archfiend swept past, causing the papers on Trudge's desk to fly everywhere. He was enjoying this as much as I am, I thought as he paused in front of me with a paper between his chops. "Hello, what's this?"

"Give that back!" Trudge went to snatch it from my hand, but Archfiend landed on his outstretched arm and dug his claws into the dark skin, earning a winch from the big man. "What in the-"

I held a hand up, cutting him off. "According to this, many of the duelists have been released from critical care recently. Maybe I should go and pay them a visit." Archfiend jumped to my shoulder, where it glared at Trudge as he snatched the paper back. "Thank you for your help, Trudge, I'll see you around." I waved, turning and walking out.

...

"I'm going to ask you again," I rubbed my temple as the man on the bed writhed and groaned, Archfiend giving me one of the most self satisfied expressions that I had ever seen on him as he kneaded the poor bastard's exposed chest. "Who attacked you?" His answer was muffled, due to the wrapping that concealed part of his head. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," Archfiend dug his claws in more. "What was that?"

"Mskph! Mhmm phm HMYPH!"

"A masked duelist?"

"Mph!"

"Male or female?"

"Phm~" He shrugged his shoulders to the best of his abilities.

I narrowed my eyes and Archfiend slowly drug a claw down the man's chest. "Can you think of anything else?"

He nearly sat upright as his face scrunched with pain from Archfiend's onslaught. "MMMMMMMPH! Hmh mhmph hmmmn hmph HMPH!"

"Thank you so much for your cooperation." I nodded to Archfiend, who leaped off the man's chest and deftly landed on my shoulder as I left the room. " What do you think?" Archfiend huffed, a faint rumble coming from his chest. "I hear you, mate."

...

"It was a man, definitely a man," the mummy-like woman in the wheelchair answered without a second hesitation. "The aggression that they showed can only belong to a man."

Archfiend hovered over her head, his eyes just begging for me to let him do his thing. I rubbed my chin in thought. "How aggressive where they?" She flailed her arms, winching at every single motion, as she described their harsh language. "Although," I raised an eyebrow as she giggled. "They were very graceful in their movements."

...

"It was a masked woman!" The man all but screamed as Archfeind dug his claws into his fleshy thighs. "She was wearing a white mask and a dark red cloak!"

"How could you tell that it was a woman?" My eyes narrowed. "Everyone else I have talked to has been unable to tell me their gender, though many of them have suspicions."

His lips lifted hesitantly. "Only women wear Beyonce Heat."

My nose scrunched. "It's very possible that they were male trying to disguise themselves as a woman."

He shrugged. "Best smelling man I ever met, then."

...

I bolted down the hallway as a scream came from one of the rooms. "Archfiend!" He had a woman by the hair and was attempting to pull her from the bed. I removed her dark hair from his claws, giving him a stern look. "My apologies, miss."

She gave me a strange look as she massaged her scalp. "That was really weird, I could have sworn that something was trying to take me into the other realm." Archfiend froze, its eyes studying the girl up and down as she glanced around the room. "Be gone, Monster Spirit!"

* * *

 **Yusei POV**

I raised an eyebrow as Jack all but fell into the giant suede lounge chair. "Rough day?" He pointed up to the ceiling wordlessly as he sipped away at his Blue Eyes coffee. Realization hit me like a brick wall. "Was it Red Dragon Archfiend?" He nodded. I shifted to the edge of the sofa, placing the file that I had been reading on the table. "What did he do?"

"Well, we paid a visit to Trudge's office, found a list of the victims, asked them a couple of questions," Jack counted off on his fingers, his eyes never leaving ceiling. "but didn't gather any useful information."

"So that's what all those phone calls were about!" I raked my hands through my hair. "Jack, the hospital was calling non-stop about a tall blond man harassing some of the patients!"

He shrugged. "It was Archfiend's idea. When he wants to do something, nothing will stop him."

* * *

Well? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!


	8. Two Resonating Hearts

Hello. everyone! Welcome to a new chapter! It's amazing to see how many people are liking this story and I'm so happy that you are enjoying it so much! I don't own rights to _Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds_! Let's get started!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask**

 **Two Resonating Hearts**

 **Yusei POV**

It's already been two weeks since we found the photo. No matter how much we pried, Security wasn't budging on giving us any more information. They kept saying that they had given us everything that they had, but something was telling me that they were hiding something. Our nightly surveillance of the underground duels were going nowhere since the robed figures had literally dropped off the grid and Jack's lead from the barista had gone cold. We were at a sit still and it was driving me insane. With less than four hours of sleep in the past week, I was at my wits end. I was looking over the documents of the boxes for the umpteenth time when a hand fell on my shoulder, startling me.

Martha tsked as I raised my head and my eyes met her own. "Yusei Fudo, you look a fright." Her hands rested on her hips, giving me one of her motherly looks.

"It's good to see you," I greeted, placing the documents on the coffee table as I drug a hand across my face in an attempt to wake myself up. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"Look at you," she sighed, examining me from different angles. "You have some of the biggest bags I have ever seen, you're more pale than baby powder, and you look thin as a toothpick. Judging from your hair, I'm guessing that you haven't had a shower in a while." She cupped my face between her hands, a hardness entering her eyes. "Akiza wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. What would she think if you found her tonight and you looked like this, huh?" A sheepish smile wormed its way onto my face despite the emptiness that I felt. When I didn't say anything, she released my face and sat on the sofa across from me. "It's been that rough on you."

"You say that like its no mystery," I halfheartedly joked. "I must really look awful then."

"You three look as if Death was standing on your doorstep. Honestly, I would think you all knew better than to do this to yourselves." Picking up the documents, she waved me away and pointed upwards. "You go on and take care of yourself."

"Martha-" My words were cut off by the stern hard look she gave me. "Yes, ma'am." Sighing, I stood and made the slow trek up the staircase. Each step felt as if I was climbing a mountain. I spotted Crow and Jack passed out in the spare bedrooms as I made my way to my own and realization hit me like a punch to the gut. She was right: we were running ourselves into the ground. If we kept going on like this, we were bound to make mistakes and lose our focus. The lights switched on as I walked into my personal bathroom and turned on the shower. My movements stalled as I caught sight of myself in the mirror. She was right, I looked like a zombie. Shaking my head, I stepped under the water and sighed as the warmth slowly spread throughout my body. My messy hair fell flat against my head as I worked the shampoo into it but the ends remained in their upward angles.

I paused as a sound seemed to echo in the tiled room. Was that a...piano? Glancing at the shower radio and finding it off, I shook my head. "I'm so tired I'm hearing things." My breath caught as the room spun and black began to creep along the edges of my vision as a memory flooded my mind...

 _*Flashback Start*_

 _I was standing next to the grand piano that sat in Akiza's favorite room. The walls were a sunlight yellow, the floor was sandstone colored, and the large windows were open, allowing a warm breeze to sweep through the room. She was sitting on the bench, wearing a simple sunflower patterned sundress that had lace straps, and wearing an expression of dismay. "Having troubles?" I asked, sitting next to her._

 _She sighed, gesturing to the sheet music. "I have to have this down by next week and I'm still having so much trouble with this part."_

 _"Would you like me to play with you?"_

 _"I thought you didn't play the piano-" She blinked as I darted out of the room and returned with my guitar case. "Since when did you know how to play that?!" When I explained that I was teaching myself in secret, her eyes lit up and began to sparkle. "You're amazing!"_

 _Scratching the back of my head, I settled the guitar in my hands and studied the sheet music. It was a simple song that we were both familiar with, but I understood why she was having trouble. "Okay, try playing it in a different way, maybe put your own twist and style to it." My fingers played across the strings, filling the room with tight tones. Her expression lightened before becoming concentrated as she turned her attention back to the piano and began to play. The piano notes seemed to harmonize with my guitar's and I swore the room brightened as she began to tweak the music to her liking. We both jumped as one of the strings on the guitar suddenly broke, cutting the music off._

 _*Flashback End*_

I gasped as my vision cleared, bringing the tiled walls of the shower into focus and finding myself leaning heavily against the shower door. "And now I'm imagining things..." I mumbled, straightened and turning off the water as I stepped out. My breath caught as faint piano notes rang through the air as her face swam in my mind. "Yusei, you're losing it." Quickly drying off, I redressed and fell onto the bed.

 _"Yusei~"_

"Akiza..." I cringed as her voice rang in my ears, tears beginning to form in my eyes as she seemed to materialize next to the bed.

 _"Play for me?" She smiled, holding out my electric guitar. "We could play together!"_

I wordlessly reached under the bed and pulled out the dusty case, the clasps popping as they opened and the leather creaking slightly as I lifted the lid. "I remember when you gave me this," I whispered, my fingers trailing across the glossy navy blue body that had gold colored tribals curling around the edges. "You gave it to me out of the blue after that day I played with you. You said that I should have a proper guitar to play instead of the toy one."

 _A grand piano suddenly materialized next to her and she took her place in front of it. "What song should we play?"_

"Whatever you want," I forced a smile, swinging the strap over my shoulder. "You go ahead and start."(A/N: I made a remix of _Falling Inside the Black_ piano cover and _Dead Inside_ by Skillet) The same piano notes from before began to fill the air as her fingers moved across the keys as she hummed softly. My hands shook slightly as I observed. Even if this was nothing more than a figment of my imagination, I would play again for her. My head began to bob as I began to play alongside her. Our songs were different, yet they flowed together effortlessly as we played.

 _"Tonight I'm so alone, This sorrow takes a hold~"_

"I'd walk through wind and fire~"

 _"Don't leave me alone,_ _Cause I barely see at all~"_

My eyes grew wide as our voices began to harmonize with the music we were creating. This wasn't happening inside my head at all. "These hollow hands reach out For you to touch me now~"

 _"Falling in the black, slipping through the cracks~"_

"My heart and soul flat-lines~"

 _"Falling to the depths, can I ever go back?~"_

"My blood runs dry~"

 _Her image wavered as she glanced in my direction, her eyes locking with mine. "Can you hear me?~"_

I nodded. "Save me from this death inside. You were my source of strength~"

 _"I want it the way it was..." She stood and walked to the bed, the piano notes slowly fading into silence as my own hands fell still, leaving only our voices. "_ _Can't hear me scream from the abyss~"_

"I'd walk through wind and fire..."

 _"Can you hear me?~"_

 ** _"My heart and soul flat-lines...Falling to the depths, can I ever go back?..."_**

Silence fell as our eyes locked onto one another. As if she were a mirage, she wavered again but when she came into focus, she looked older...almost around our age. Her eyes held shock in them and her lips were parted slightly as she hesitantly reached a hand out. I felt my own eyes widen as her fingers brushed my cheek, leaving it tingling. "A-Akiza?!" Leaping to my feet, I reached out to grasp her shoulders, but only grasped empty air and collided with the wall. Frustration and sadness flooded my body as I sank to the floor, the guitar sliding from my hands.

 _"Can you hear me?~"_

"Where are you?" I murmured, unable to keep back the tears any longer. "Tell me."

All the air in my lungs seemed to vanish as my vision swam and the sensation of floating overcame my senses. The walls became red and the hardwood floor was covered in beige shag carpet. I was facing a window that had black lace curtains that were tied back with a beige cord, revealing the moonless night sky and the silent street that was almost invisible if it weren't for the street lights. Something moved in the glass, bringing it into focus and it felt as if my heart had stopped: Akiza's reflection was where my own was, creating a mix. Just like the image, she had grown taller and had matured immensely. Tears were falling from her eyes as her shoulders shook with silent sobs. "Yusei..." Her soft whisper washed over me like a tidal wave and it felt as if all of her sadness had poured into me, combining with my own. "Yusei..."

"Akiza," I whispered as she rested her forehead against the glass plane. "I can hear you. Will you wait a little longer for us?"

"Yes." Everything froze as her hand rose and rested against the glass.

I raised my own and placed it in the same position as she faded...and found it warm. My eyes refocused as frost began to form on the pane and revealed writing. "I will wait for as long as it takes" it said. Sighing, I fell backwards onto the bed and rolled onto my side facing the window as the words faded. "Hang in there, Akiza." My eyes were drifting closed when the street popped up in my head. Grabbing a pen from the nightstand, I scribbled the street onto my palm just before I fell into unconsciousness.

 **...**

 **Akiza POV**

I released a choked sob as his reflection disappeared. Had I imagined this whole thing...or was this a trick? Was he toying with me? I shook my head, recalling the warmth of his cheek. There was no way I would have imagined that. The sound of the door opening caught my attention as a shadow fell across the carpet and stretching up onto the wall. "My answer is still no," I nearly growled, refusing to turn around and face the figure. "I won't do it." My vision swam as they stated that I had no choice and I found myself falling into the familiar darkness again. "Yusei...

* * *

Cliff hanger! Please don't kill me! Let me know what you think!


	9. Fruit-ful Encounter

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! If you haven't noticed, this story has a bit of a pattern going on with the POVs so this chapter will be Crow's! I couldn't help but die laughing a couple times throughout this creation, so please forgive the tardiness! I don't own rights to _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds_! Without further ado, I bid you good reading!

* * *

 **Fruit-ful Encounter**

 **Crow POV**

"I can't believe this," I grumbled, shaking the tin in hopes of finding at least something left of the mini waffle cereal I had been looking forwards to munching on. "Guess those are gone too." It was the next morning after Martha had forced us all to take care of ourselves and I was now starving after my two day nap. Yusei and Jack were still asleep, so it was up to me to fill the cupboards. A smile tugged on my lips as I stepped out into the morning sunlight. When was the last time I had gone out? Shaking my head, I slipped my helmet on as the engine roared to life. "Nothing like the sound of a duel runner in the morning." My thoughts were flooded with the images of food as I wove my way through the streets toward our local Hyve. It was our favorite place to stop for a bite as well as to check out the duel runner parts shop that was across the street. Pulling into a parking spot, I noticed a figure standing next to a black Bentley limo that was parked near the door.

"I'll be fine, okay? You don't have to watch me every second of the day." they said before darting inside and the window was rolled up.

Shrugging my shoulders, I grabbed a cart and began making my way through the aisles. Thankfully it was too early for most people so it was quiet for the most part. I was grabbing thing left and right, things that I usually get as well as the things that I have seen in Yusei's cupboards. My hands paused as I came to the beverages and snack aisle. None of us were big on sweets but it was natural to grab something sweet and have it on hand in case she ever did return. She had always liked sweets, including those that contained fruits. Then again, it's been so long that she might have grown out of it... "C'mon, just grab something and move on!" I growled, reaching for a little box of dried apricots.

"Is that the last one?" a small voice came from my right. I turned and found the person from before standing next to me. Now that they were closer I could tell they were a girl. her hair was hidden inside a black schoolboy styled hat, her eyes hidden behind a pair of slanted brown hued glasses, and dressed in a black-red plaid patterned dress that reached her knees. She was about my height thanks to the red 1-inch heels she was wearing and she wore wine red lipstick- or was it gloss? It didn't matter, she still looked incredibly- "Hello?" she waved her hand in front of my face and it instantly caused it to flush.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that, guess I'm still half asleep," I chuckled, scratching the back of my head as she hid a smile behind her hand. "Yeah, this is the last one. Oh! But you can have it!"

Her eyes widened behind her glasses. "Oh, no, it's alright!"

"No, please take them!" In the blink of an eye, I had slipped the little bag into the basket that was hanging from her arm. "No tag backs."

She sighed and showed a small smile. "If you insist. Thank you, I appreciate you giving them to me."

I waved as I turned and continued down the aisle. "No problem." My blush was finally beginning to fade when something gently grabbed my arm and turned me to face her. She asked if we had met before and I pulled out my Black-Winged Dragon. When she raised an eyebrow in a questioning way, I explained that she might have seen me during the duel tournaments. She nodded hesitantly. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of turbo dueling."

Her eyes narrowed as she let go of my arm. "Turbo dueling isn't everything, and it's very dangerous."

"Yeah, if an amateur is behind the wheel," I rolled my eyes. "It's not for everyone who has ever picked up a deck."

"Is that so? Then does the same go for anyone who picks up a game controller thinks they can handle Rainbow Road?" My mouth opened then closed as she suddenly held her head. She excused herself then darted down the aisle and out of sight. What was all that about?

My hand shot into my pocket as my phone began to vibrate and found it to be Yusei. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty," I teased, turning towards the pop. "How do you feel?" Mumbling came from the other line, telling me all I needed to know. I explained that I was out shopping and asked if there was anything he would like me to bring back and I swore that he said her name but his voice was so cracked it was hard to tell. My eyebrows shot upwards as Martha's voice came through the phone; she must have snuck in when I left. There was the sound of rustling and then Martha's voice rang crystal clear as she gave me a whole list of ingredients to get and that "we couldn't survive off fast food and snacks forever". "Yes, ma'am, I'll get right on that." I smiled, then hung up. "First the beverages though."

 **...**

I sweat dropped as the lady at the check-out lanes gave me an incredulous look as I wheel my two carts into her lane. "Sorry, uh, would you believe me if I told you that this isn't just for me?" She hesitantly smiled as she began ringing everything up. A movement from one of the other lanes caught my attention and I noticed the girl from before shrinking before a furious cashier and hurriedly made my way over. "Is there a problem?"

"She doesn't have enough for this," the stocky man held up a crisp twenty. "This was what she handed me when her total is _this_!" He pointed a finger at the display and I blanched. He was right, there was no way the $20 was going to cover it! "Miss, I must insist that you either discard some items or leave our store immediately."

"Whoa, hold on there, I think you're mistaken." I held up a hand as my other grabbed her arm before she slipped away towards the exit. Taking out my wallet, I threw two one-hundred dollar bills onto the register. "I think you owe this pretty girl an apology for insulting her math skills. She clearly has enough for everything and yet you humiliate her in front of your customers. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that in turn make you look bad by causing the scene?" He sputtered, his eyes darting towards the surveillance before locking on my own. "Now, _my_ math says that she should be getting $2.14 back in change." I sent her a wink as he hastily rang up her change and held out her hand for him to place it in. "Thank you."

"You didn't have to-" Her words stalled as I handed her the bags then turned and walked back to my own lane as the cashier waved me over. "Wait!"

"Your total comes to $612.54," the cashier smiled. It wavered as I swiped my card without so much as a blink then placed the gold card back in my wallet. "Will that be credit or debit?"

"Doesn't matter," I shrugged then face palmed. "Crap, how am I supposed to get these home?! There's no way I can get these to fit on my runner!"

"Leave that to me," the mystery girl winked, gesturing for me to follow once I had been given the receipt. By the time I had managed to get the carts outside, the limo was waiting behind her and a young man-her driver, I guess- was standing near the open trunk. "You lead the way and we'll follow. How does that sound?" My brain froze. If Martha saw her pull into Yusei's driveway, I was _so_ going to get it! I opened my mouth to say that I could just have the groceries delivered, but the words never left my lips due to the slim finger that pressed against them and the look she was giving me from over the rims of her glasses. "Let me do it as a thank you."

I nodded, unable to form words. The groceries were loaded as I started my duel runner and I thought I saw her nod in approval as I mounted it. "Are you sure that you can keep up?" I called as I pulled up next to her as she rolled down the window. "It's not Rainbow Road, but it's pretty confusing." She shook her head and told me to lead the way.

 **...**

"This is your place?" she raised an eyebrow as I began to collect the bags. "Somehow I can't imagine you to be the mansion type."

I shook my head. "Nah, this is Yusei's place. Mine's actually a few blocks east and Jack's a few more blocks beyond me."

Her hands flew to her head as her knees began to wobble and her glasses fell to the concrete, shattering. Without them, her eyes seemed glazed and unfocused, almost giving her a haunting look. They were slanted in the corners and were the color or caramel...just like... The bags fell from my hands as her wide eyes met mine before she was swept back into the car by her chauffeur. "Hey, hold on a second!" I shouted, banging against her window. "Wait! Are you who I think you are? Answer me, Akiza!"

The window rolled down and my head shot to the left as her palm connected with my face. "My name is Autumn, since you never asked," she cradled the hand she had used to slap me with but a look of shame came across her face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Please forgive me."

"No," I hung my head, unable to look her in the eye. "It's my fault, I should have asked your name sooner instead of mistaking you for someone-"

"It would be best if you forgot about her," she cut in, her hat shadowing her eyes. My own widened as I asked her to explain. "I'm guessing this 'Akiza' meant a lot to you and I don't mean to sound rude, but I'm sure she would want you to move on." Her hand suddenly grabbed mine and I found myself staring into crystal clear caramel orbs before the limo began moving. "I'm sorry, Crow, but none of you can save her..." I heard her whisper before her window rolled up and the limo disappeared out of sight.

I fell to my knees as her words rang in my ears as my eyes fell onto my clenched fist. Opening it, I found the bag of dried apricots that I had given her. It felt as if I was in a fog as voices called out to me and hazy figures appeared in my vision, but it wasn't until hands landed on my shoulders. Yusei's and Jack's faces swam into view as their voices finally reached my ears. My hands clutched theirs as they pulled me to my feet, but I held onto them to gain their attention. "You won't believe what just happened."

* * *

Oooooh, a new twist in the story! How will the boys handle this one? See you all next time! Leave a comment/review and let me know your thoughts! Xoxxxoxox!


	10. Seed of Hope

Hello, everyone! Thank you for being so patient! Everything has fallen into place for the most part and I can't wait to get back to writing! I apologize that it took so long and that this chapter is so short, but the next one will be longer.

I don't own rights to _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds_! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Seed of Hope**

 **Martha POV**

"So you were slapped in the face for mistaking the girl for her?" I rolled my eyes as I slid a plate of steaming food in front of Crow. "What did you expect, a hug? That poor girl had helped you out of the goodness of her heart and you didn't even bother asking for her name." He held up a hand saying that her name was Autumn, but hung his head as he mentioned that she had said it after the slap. "and here I thought you had better manners than that."

"But she had the same eyes!" Crow reached up and pulled at the corners of his own slightly. "They were slanted just like hers! Even their color was just like hers!"

"There is such thing as color changing contacts," Yusei tapped his chin in thought. "and slanted eyes aren't that unusual." A sigh escaped from between his lips as Jack backed him up. They must have also mistaken her for Akiza, but they should have known better than to expect her to just walk back into their lives as if she appeared out of thin air. They had made little to no progress since they had found the documents, so why were their hopes so high?

"Anyway, did you three check up on the place that Crow mentioned the other day?" I asked while placing a pot of steaming coffee on the table. A look of confusion clouded their expressions and I held back the urge to hit them all upside the head with my ladle. They were worse than I expected. "Didn't you three say something about your dragons giving you hints? Don't give me those looks, I'm not completely oblivious to what's going on with you three."

"Are you talking about that building that I saw those kids in?" Crow held up his Black-Winged Dragon card then raised Yusei's hand to reveal a few scribbles. "Or the writing on Yusei's hand?"

"I already looked into those two while you three were getting some rest and they happen to be one in the same." I grabbed the nearby pile of papers that I had printed off while the boys had been bringing in the groceries and gave each a few. "The address that Yusei had written down before falling asleep lead to an company called Arcadia Movement. When I called them, their was an automated system that answered and one of the questions it asked was if I was calling on behalf of unexplainable events." Their eyes locked on mine as I brought up the park incident. "I don't recall her parents ever talking about it, but that doesn't mean that they didn't know. Akiza had told me of what happened after you three went home and she had trouble sleeping because of a nightmare. I've found some information, but I suggest that you three pay them a visit." My hand shot out, grabbing Yusei and Crow's collars as they stood. "AFTER you finish eating."

 **...**

I gently tapped my knuckles against the door, smiling as Mr. Tanaka opened the door. "Long time no see."

"Miss Martha," the elderly man opened the door wider and gestured for me to come in. "It's such a relief to see you doing well. Tell me, what brings you by the manor?"

"I was wondering if the Mrs was in," I asked, slipping my shoes off and accepting the slippers he offered. He explained that her mother was currently in the study and departed for the kitchen with words of bringing refreshments. Nostalgia hit me like a brick wall as I made my way through the mansion. As Akiza's nanny, I had spent a lot of time with her when her parents were away on business. A voice was coming from the open door of the study and my heart clenched tightly as I paused in the doorway. Mrs. Izinski was curled up in one of the lounge chairs with a large album in her lap and was muttering to herself under her breath. She looked so frail and thin that I hardly recognized her. "My goodness, has everyone forgotten how important food and rest are?"

Her head rose and I found myself looking into glazed brown eyes. "Martha, how lovely of you to stop by."

I sighed and sat in the chair opposite of her, taking her hands in mine. "Honey, I wish I could say that it's good to see you, but frankly you look miserable." My eyes fell onto the album in her lap, finding baby pictures. "I remember when you came home from the hospital. You two were so exhausted but you couldn't keep the smiles off your faces for more than two seconds. Akiza was such a beautiful and easy baby."

The woman's eyes watered. "Yes, you did a wonderful job with her. I just wish that I had more time for her..."

"Now you listen here," I gently took the album from her. "You need to stop talking about her as if she's gone. I can't go into details, but I can assure you that she's alive."

At my words, her eyes sharpened and came into focus. I blinked in surprise as she stood and anger entered her eyes. "And how can you be so sure? It was because of you that she was taken from us in the first place! She was taken right out from under your nose!" I stood and opened my mouth to respond, but my lips closed as she continued. "We trusted you, Martha, you were supposed to protect her! How could you let her be taken?! I thought you loved her as much as we did!"

"I do love Akiza, as if she was my own daughter, but I'm not letting my guilt and grief lash out to those around me." I saw surprise flicker across her expression but I wasn't done yet. "Those three boys are doing everything they can to find her. I happened to stop by to visit them the other day and do you know what I found? I found them half starved and so sleep deprived that they were unable to tell day from night. They are showing how far they will go for Akiza, but what about you? How do you think she would feel if she saw you sitting here wallowing and crying over the past? I'm guessing she would be disappointed and sad that you gave up so easily."

"Not even Security was able to find her, so what else am I supposed to do?!"

"You can start by having faith in Yusei, Crow, and Jack!" I nearly shouted, causing her to flinch. "I pray and truly believe that they will find her, but they need to know that you believe in them too." Her eyes fell to the floor as she fell back into the chair, her hands shaking and asking what else she was supposed to do. "You can start by taking care of yourself. You can't help anyone in the condition that you're in right now, so may I suggest that you eat something first?"

"Splendid idea," Mr. Tanaka pipped up, placing the tray containing a teapot and cups on the table. "Is there anything that you would recommend, Miss Martha?"

"Let's have her start with something easy. Maybe a soup or some simple cucumber sandwiches would be alright, we don't want her stomach to get upset." I poured the brown liquid into a floral teacup, smiling as the familiar fragrance tickled my nose. "Earl Grey, perfect." Turning, I slipped her hands around the cup and encouraged her to drink. Maybe visiting her would prove to be helpful in more ways than one.

 **...**

"I saw your runners in the driveway," I called, closing the door behind me as I entered Yusei's home. They answered from the next room that had become their gathering of information headquarters. "How did it go?"

"We got nothing." Yusei appeared in the doorway as I shrugged out of my light jacket. "They didn't so much as blink when we asked if it was true that they had experience in strange phenomenon and even asked for details about the incident. When we told them of what happened on the playground, they asked us to leave the building or else they would call Security."

"They are definitely hiding something." Jack pipped up, sipping from a familiar cup bearing a dragon insignia.

"If only one of us had similar abilities as she did, but I don't know if that would help us." Crow scratched the back of his head.

I hummed softly as I looked over the pamphlets that they had brought back. It looked as if it was an institute that specialized in "talented" individuals. Akiza definitely fit that description, but her parents had never mentioned it. I blinked as my eyes fell on one of the children in the pamphlet's front cover image. It was a little girl with mahogany hair pulled up into twin ponytails and was wearing a sunflower patterned sundress with lace straps. The dress looked oddly familiar...wasn't that the dress that Akiza had chosen to wear on her birthday? I asked for the image of the surveillance camera that caught her being taken by the stranger, but she had already changed into her night dress. "Crow, you were the one who searched her room, right?" He nodded. "Did you happen to find the dress that she wore on her birthday?"

"Let's see now..." He scratched the back of his head, his eyes closing. "I want to say that I did but maybe not." His eyes snapped open as I said that it was kept in a dresser. "Wait, the dresser next to the door? I accidentally knocked it over and everything spilled out of of the drawers. I didn't see that dress though. Why?"

Laying out the pamphlet, I pointed out the little girl. "She's wearing a similar dress to the one Akiza did. I'm not saying that it's exact, but something is telling me that this might not be a coincidence."

"She was wearing that dress when I saw her," Yusei picked up the paper, his eyes locked on the girl. "She never liked her hair up in that style though." He turned the pamphlet around to where the success stories were placed. "It looks like her name is Autumn."

I turned toward Crow. "Maybe you should get to know that girl."

* * *

What do you guys think? Hope to hear from you soon! Xxoxoooxoxo!


	11. Inspector Atlas

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! It's been a while, and I do apologize for the wait! Work has been very hectic lately (working 32-37 hours/week) but it will hopefully go down at least a little after the school season starts up in August. Anyway, big thanks to everyone for being so patient with me while I'm still getting into the groove of things! This chapter is written a little differently. I thought that a different writing style for this chapter would be a good way to try something fun. You'll understand when you read the title. This chapter is a little on the short side, and I'm sorry about that! I can never make Jack's chapters very long!

I don't own rights to _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds_! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Inspector Atlas**

 **Jack POV**

12:46 PM

My eyes darted across the screen as I searched the surveillance footage of the other day. After Martha had left, Crow and Yusei decided to go check the store to see if this mystery girl would show up out of the blue. Highly unlikely, if you ask me. While they are out playing guessing games, I am here looking for legitimate clues. My finger pressed the spacebar as her glasses fell and took a screenshot of her face before bringing it into a program to enhance it. I grabbed a snapshot of the license plate and pasted it into the internet browser. Irritation grated my nerves as it came up with a load of nothing. Grabbing my phone, I pressed the number four and talk button. It was a split second after the first ring that the line connected and a woman's voice came through. "Carly, you can trace a license plate without getting Secutiry's attention, correct?"

 _"_ _Jack?! Is that you?! Where have you been?!"_

 _"_ _Can you or not?" I sighed into the phone as she complained of how I had been keeping her out of the loop for as long as I have. "Do this for me and we will give you those interviews that you've wanted."_

 _"_ _You can't dangle that in front of me whenever you need something, it starts to lose its value. I want to be a part of whatever you three are up to! This is a major thing! Will you three give me permission to participate in this whole investigation?" I glared at the phone in my hand for a few seconds. Message received loud and clear._

 _"_ _Fine, send the plate and I'll run it really quick."_

I ended the call and sent the file to her personal email. Now all I could do was wait until the program was finished and for Carly to get back to me.

...

1:02 PM

Carly has gotten back to me. The plates belonged to a Edgar O'Nichlow, a man in his late forties. Edgar wasn't anything special; receding hairline, occasionally visited his younger brother who lived overseas, lived in the southern part of Domino. There was one thing in particular that stuck out: he had been hired close to two months ago by a private employer that refused to be named. She had sent a picture and it matched the man that had ushered the mystery girl into the car. Perhaps we should pay him a visit.

...

1:22 PM

The image of the mystery girl has finished. Crow wasn't lying when he said that she looked a lot like Akiza. Not only were the eyes the same, but so were her high cheekbones and coloration. I placed it in a facial recognition software that Mina had given me when we first started this "project". An idea came to mind as I recalled the sunglasses the girl had been wearing. She hadn't retrieved them and they had been placed in the garbage bin next to the door. I grabbed my phone and punched the five. "Mina. I have a favor to ask."

...

4:40 PM

Mina stopped by two hours ago to pick up the glasses and has sent a copy of her findings to me. There were a few fingerprints on the sunglasses that she managed to lift as well as some skin flakes. The facial recognition isn't finished yet, though it should have hours ago, but this new information should help us. The DNA strands looked Greek to me, but the fact that there were no matches told me that something was preventing us from finding out more about this girl.

Crow and Yusei have returned, turning up empty handed. They seemed surprised that I had managed to put this together. They should have realized by now that I'm more than just the Master of Faster. Yusei offered to visit Edgar and I agreed, pointing out that I needed to stay in case the facial recognition finished. Since he had nothing better to do, I requested that Crow made dinner tonight.

...

5:28 PM

Yusei has returned from Edgar's place. The man had been welcoming at first, even offered to make him tea, but turned into a brick wall when he was asked about the girl. We weren't going to get anything from him. Crow had made an average beef stroganoff, needed some more spice though. The facial recognition still isn't finished. Thinking that I should as Mina to check the software. Showed the DNA that Mina sent to the others. Yusei couldn't make sense of any of it and Crow is Crow. It was as if this girl didn't exist.

...

6:44 PM

The software has crashed. There went over six hours of my precious time. Yusei took over the computer from there, attempting to salvage any of the information or files that it was holding.

...

6:51 PM

Yusei called us all to the living room. He had found an outside IP address that was altering the software's programming. My hunch of outside intervention was right. He attempted to trace it, but it had been bounced around the world, making it virtually impossible to find its source. At this point, we had only her name to go from: Autumn. Taking to social media, we began looking for any profile pictures or usernames that would pose any sort of lead. There were twenty "Autumn", each between the ages of 14-22, one "AutumnRose" with unknown age, two "Autumn44" between the ages of 20-31, and at least fourteen "AutumnGold ranging from 13-45. We each took 13 profiles and started searching them for clues.

...

7:23 PM

One of my profiles has a possible lead. "Autumn Rose", no known age, only one profile picture. She looked nearly identical to the picture that I had enhanced from the surveillance footage. Only social media accounts were Photobucket and Floralbook. It seemed that she had a green thumb, judging from all the posts and pictures that she had. No mention of siblings, family members, or any other personal information. Her interests included gardening, reading, and composing music. Interesting girl.

Yusei had two possible matches and Crow had another three. They were all close to how old she would be now, but that could all change in a week. Her birthday is coming up. If any of the profiles changed or posted pictures that even came close to a celebration, we would know where to start. Until then, we needed to keep our eyes and ears focused in case anything came up.

* * *

And there you have it! Again, sorry for it's shortness! Let me know what you think! Xoxoxxxoxoxoxoooo!


	12. Author's Note: The Hits Just Keep Coming

Well, the hits just keep coming... We were on our way back home after my Grammie's funeral, less than 3 miles from the apartment, and we hit a patch of ice. My hubby is okay, me as well. The accident was pretty bad, our 2014 Equinox might be totaled. We slid sideways into the interstate sign, the back end swung and hit a communication box. Missed my door by 4 inches in front and behind. Very sore this morning and waiting to hear back from the cops and from the shop.


	13. Rose Gold

**First things first…I'M ALIVE**! Big thanks to everyone for being so patient with me while we were recovering! The accident was pretty bad, the car was totaled and we were in a pinch financially but everything has finally smoothed over! This chapter is going back to the original style with Yusei's POV. From now on, it will all be in Yusei's POV, it's getting a bit hectic bouncing between characters. Let's see where this goes! I don't own rights to _Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds_!

* * *

 **Remove the Mask:**

 **Rose Gold**

I sighed, falling onto my bed with the files pulled up on my docreader. Martha had returned and chased each of us to our respective rooms for the night. Looks like we won't be pulling anymore all-nighters under her watch. My eyes darted between the two candidates, taking in each of their features as I settled into the bed.

Candidate A: "Autumn Gold". Copper colored hair gathered into braids that reached her shoulders, light olive complexion, hazel eyes that were almond-shaped, heart-shaped face, rounded cheekbones and nose, and lips as full as the moon in the sky. It seemed she favored the smokey look, judging from the many tutorials she had posted. She created the account on Floralbook over three years ago and had posted many pictures of various plants. It was linked to a UTube and Tweet. There were a few other pictures of her waving or smelling a flower. It seemed that she favored earthy tones; greens, golds, browns, and various shades of white were always present in her wardrobe choice.

Candidate B: "Rōzu Gold". Light auburn colored hair collected into a braided bun that sat atop her head with a few strands framing her face, revealing dark chocolate underneath. Her complexion was tinted pink, almost cat-like eyes were the color of butterscotch, heart-shaped face, small rounded nose, and a small mouth in the shape of cupid's bow that was similar in shade to her hair thanks to lipstick. On the bridge of her nose sat a pair of silver glasses in the shape of large rectangles. If she were smiling, her cheeks would have surely brushed them. She too had a Floralbook account, but that was about it. There were hardly any pictures of her, most if not all of the pictures she had were of plants. She seemed to lean towards warmer tones; reds, browns, golds, there was even a video of her showcasing her garden and she could be seen wearing a form-fitting red and black dress.

Both were unique in more ways than one, but they had their similarities. They had both gone to Duel Academy and graduated years ago, then moved onto their carriers. Autumn had become a marketing specialist for a popular floral company, Rōzu was working independently by running a private greenhouse. They were shown to have also won multiple awards in various competitions for their work. On the surface, they looked to be ordinary.

I sat upright and selected Autumn's files. Have to start somewhere, right? She was the oldest of six, single, grew up in Northern Domino, handful of friends, seemed to like coffee as much as Jack. Her public playlist was average, various in genres and time frames though it did appear that she preferred movie soundtracks. There were various pictures of her with other people that tagged them as "complicated". A half-smile wormed onto my face as I shook my head. "Complicated is exactly how it is." Raking a hand through my hair, I stretched and turned my attention to Rōzu.

My face twisted in confusion as an error message flashed across the screen. "No Data?" I checked the modem that was in the ceiling, found it blue. There wasn't anything wrong with the WiFi and there was data there earlier when we had first discovered her profile. I scanned over the info that we had copied from her profile when we were organizing who would check out who. It looks as though her profile is protected. Alarm filled me as more error messages began appearing, nearly covering my screen. Someone was hacking me! As quickly as I could, I began to set up firewalls and begin a reverse trace. It felt as if I was dueling, each of us exchanging hits and losing defenses. The trace was just homing in on a location when a connection window appeared.

"What do you think you're doing, looking through a girl's information?" an encrypted voice came through the speaker. "You're not half bad, I'll give you that much, but you're going to have to try harder if you're going to stalk some poor girl."

"This isn't what it looks like-"

"Spare me," the voice spat. "you won't fool me with your lies. Let me guess, you were just browsing the net when you came across the picture of a pretty girl and fell head over heels. So you decided to try and dig up what you could about her so you could stalk her since you don't have enough balls to just send a simple message."

One of my eyebrows rose. "I promise, this is nothing more than a misunderstanding." The voice laughed. "Listen to me, I'm not a stalker nor am I an enemy. I'm merely looking for someone that might be able to help me."

"Help you with your sick games and pleasures? No thanks."

I sweat dropped. How was I supposed to convince them that I'm not like that? Shifting to the edge of the bed, I pulled out my laptop and connected the docreader. "If you don't believe me, just turn on my webcam." This was an extremely gusty move. If they did, then they could turn me in to Security for hacking. I took a deep breath as silence filled the air, then focused on the green light at the top of the screen. "I'm only looking for the only person who might be able to help me find someone. My friend has been missing for years and Security has given up on finding her. I know she's out there somewhere and that she needs help."

An unfiltered sigh came through the speakers. "Didn't I tell your carrot-top friend to forget about her?" The screen flashed and a girl matching the photo filled the screen. She was shaking her head while rubbing her temples. "First carrot harasses me in the grocery store, someone goes after my driver, and now this?! I can't catch a break! Then again, this might be my lucky night. You're pretty cute!" My eyes widened the longer I studied her face. Crow wasn't kidding, she looked _**exactly**_ like Akiza!

Anger filled me as she told me to forget about Akiza. "I would never forget her." I snapped, causing her to jump. "She's one of my closest friends, and I'll never give up on finding her. Even if it was to put my life in danger, I would still seek her out. I don't just 'forget and move on' like _some_ people. I like to help my friends, no matter if they are near or far."

Her eyes narrowed as she came closer to the camera, causing her features to distort slightly. "Wait a minute, I think I know you from somewhere…" With shaking hands, she removed her glasses and her hands rose to cover her mouth. Confusion filled me as she suddenly disappeared from the screen then reappeared with something in her hands. "I never thought that you actually existed…"

"What are you talking about?" Her shock was beginning to concern me, especially with how much she was shaking.

Shaking her head, she turned whatever was in her hand and it felt as if an elephant suddenly decided to take a seat on my chest as she began apologizing. "I'm sorry, but I'm not Akiza, but I knew her." It was a picture frame with multiple snapshots- including a copy of one that we had of her birthday!

"Where did you get that?" I whispered, unable to stop myself from pulling out my own picture and showing it to her. It was the four of us around a table, eagerly waiting to dig into Akiza's birthday cake. They had given Crow, Jack, and myself a copy of the original when she first disappeared. How did this girl get her hands on one?

"I need to start from the beginning," she sighed, placing the picture off to the side. "but not like this." Her eyes darted across the screen. "It looks like there's another outside party trying to break into your system. Let me reinforce it for you, it's the least I could do after the ordeal I'm about to put you through. Meet me at the underground duels tomorrow. We can talk then, and bring your two friends with you, they will need to hear what I have to say."

"Is she alive?" Her movements froze. The room seemed to fade away as she refused to look at the camera as she resumed typing. "Answer me! Is. She. Alive."

"Last I knew," she sighed. "yes." The relief I felt was short lived as she looked the camera dead on. "The last time I saw her was ten years ago, at that point she was breathing. I heard through the grapevine of rumors that she passed away roughly six years ago. I'm sorry to leave you like that, but they are about to trace us. I'm sending you some files. I'll be waiting for you three tomorrow night." And the screen went dark.

Horror filled me. There was no way… My hands trembled as I opened it and the picture fell from my grasp as the headlines of articles appeared: CHILD KIDNAPPER AT LARGE, KIDNAPPED CHILDREN FOUND DEAD, KIDNAPPER PLEADS NOT GUILTY, DEAD CHILDREN UNIDENTIFIABLE DUE TO HORROR. "What the hell is this?" I shoved the laptop away as I stood and began pacing as videos of the articles began to play. None of this made any sense! We would have heard about this! Picking up my cell, I dialed the Izinski home phone. Mr. Tanaka picked up on the second ring, but I wasn't making a social call. I questioned him about the articles and my heart sank as he reluctantly admitted that her parents had feared the worst that she had been one of the dismembered children. "Her case is one in the same as these?! If they did, then why did they approach me?"

"Mr. Yusei, if I may be so bold, you too kept hope all this time. It was bound to spread," he sighed into the phone. "You didn't hear this from me, but there have been strange things happening ever since the case was closed. There have been phone calls of someone playing a piano." Just like the call Crow was getting. "That is why the mistress was so poor in health for the longest time. The calls still come but they aren't as frequent, and she finds peace in the music that is playing."

"But they never found her, right?" I pressed, leaning against the wall next to the window.

"Correct. There weren't any that matched Miss Akiza's description."

"Then it is possible that she is still alive." It was as if my heart suddenly had a fire in it the more I processed the information that had come to light. It grew as he mentioned that the kidnapper had been hired by someone, but it was never revealed as to who it was. We wouldn't be able to find out anyway, he had been sentenced to the injection a few short weeks after the case had been closed. "I'm sorry to have bothered you so late, have a good night." Ending the call and placing the phone on the nightstand, I turned my attention back to the laptop. One of the articles contained the man's statement and photo, matching the one we have from the surveillance camera.

 _"_ _They contacted me, I never contacted them. I worked as a security system programmer and one of the higher ups offered me a side job that paid double what I was making. They said they needed me to alter the systems of a few households one day. Then they told me that I needed to follow up and examine the system by running a simulator. I was only doing what I was told, I never imagined that the simulator was more than just a test."_

I shook my head as I absentmindedly reached up and touched the marking on my face. Security has come a long way from the days of mistrial. My eyes darted over the rest of the files that Rōzu sent, my breath catching as I noticed a zipped folder named "Arcadia Movement". Arcadia Movement was the place that we tried to check out at the address that I had been given. "Looks like I've struck rose gold."

* * *

Well? What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments!


	14. In Memory

I'm not sure where to begin…my relative that has been fighting nervical and brain cancer for the past 10 years has passed away. She was the strongest person I know. I remember the times we would watch Disney movies and munch on snack-size candies. She was the person who introduced me to Harry Potter. When I was little, before my brother was born, we spent a lot of time together playing in the local fountain that was just down the street from where she lived. Her daughter was born around the same time that my sister was, and it was decided that her daughter would live with my parents effective after the funeral this weekend. I still can't believe she's gone… Anyway, this chapter is for her. I don't own rights to _**YuGiOh! 5Ds**_.

* * *

 **In Memory**

I came to a stop in front of a cherry tree, my hand clenching around the flowers in my hand. "I know I haven't visited much, and I'm sorry about that. I tell you every time I swing by that I'll do better and I never do." Kneeling, I placed the flowers in the little vase that sat between them. "I can see you even now, shaking you head and telling me that I'm hopeless and she would be telling you to take it easy on me. You would simply smile and ruffle my hair, despite me telling you to never do that." A chuckle slipped past my lips as I reached out and ran my fingers through my hair. "Ironic how I miss that." Shaking my head, I leaned against him as my thoughts drifted…

 _**Flashback Start**_

 _"I'm going to Akzia's for a little while!" I called, slipping my shoes on. My motions halted as mother called me into the sitting room. I was impatient and wanted to get back to the sleepover. I had come home when no one had been awake yet to grab a change of clothes. They would be up any minute! She came out into the hallway, her expression was tight and she was frowning. My eyes darted downward, but I wasn't wearing anything that would have gotten me in trouble. Confusion filled me as she knelt and cupped my face. "Mother?"_

 _"Yusei," she began, her hands falling to my shoulders. "I'm going to ask you some very important questions and I need you to be completely honest with me. Okay?" I nodded. She took a deep breath and her sky blue orbs locked on my cobalt ones. "Did you notice anything strange when you left, like a strange person was there who shouldn't have been?" Dread filled me at her words. Had something happened? Her expression blanked as I said that everyone had still been asleep when I left. "Honey, did you actually see that everyone was asleep?"_

 _I shook my head. "Jack, Crow, and I were on the floor while Akiza was in her bed. It was dark-" My words stalled as the door behind me flew open, revealing Jack and Crow's devastated expressions. Their pajamas were disheveled and Jack hadn't brushed his hair yet. I felt myself grow cold as they began talking. Bits and pieces registered, but my whole world tipped when I heard "missing". My feet moved on their own and I suddenly found myself running down the street towards her house. There were multiple Security cars parked in the driveway and street, casting the house in their flickering lights. Multiple hands grabbed me as I slipped though the front door but I shook them off. Everything stopped as I caught sight of her mother crying._

 _"Where's Akiza?" I hadn't even realized the question had come from me until everyone in the room turned their focus on me for a split second. Her mother covered her face with her hands as Hideo wrapped his arms around her. Just like that, I came apart._

 _**Flashback Ends**_

"I couldn't sleep or eat for weeks," I sighed. "You tried everything from Grandma's cookbook to my favorite restaurant, but nothing worked. I still can't believe that mom tried to cook and ended up making lava. That's why only dad and the chef was allowed in the kitchen." My lips tilted into a smile as I practically envisioned her hiding her blush with one of her hands.

"This probably comes as no surprise to you, but I've never stopped searching for her." A breeze tickled my face as mother used to. "Yeah, yeah, I know. We've already established that I'm hopeless." Kneeling, I brushed away some leaves that had fallen in front of them. "I really think I'm close to finding her." I explained everything that had happened in the past month. Every so often it felt as if mother's hand brushed my hair or my father's hand grasped my shoulder briefly, and I found comfort in both. "I really feel like I'm getting close, I can almost see her." My eyes rose and focused on the little archway that was a few yards away. "She's taller than Crow, which isn't surprising at all. Her hair has gotten longer, but only in the front…" Words left me as someone appeared under the arch, wearing a large hat and a scarf that covered their face. I blinked as they approached and came to a stop in front of me. "Can I help you?"

"Has anyone ever told you you're a moron?" they whispered, shifting the scarf. Rōzu winked as I couldn't help but gawk. She tilted her head in their direction. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

I shook my head. "I was actually about to tell them about you."

She bowed slightly. "You have a very nice son, Dr. and Mrs. Fudo. It's nice to see you again." My eyes widened. "Your son is an amazing man, going to such lengths for someone like Akiza." Rōzu offered a small smile as I gave her a look. "I already told you I knew her, what makes you think she didn't mention you all? I heard about the accident, I'm sorry for your loss. It happened after she disappeared, right?" she reached into the giant black overcoat she was wearing and pulled out a dark brown box about the size of thick heavy bound book. "She heard and wanted to send these to you, but with everything going to hell and all..."

I looked from her to the envelope as my mind began to race. Of course she would have heard of the accident… which meant that there had been a chance that she had been within city limits! As if it was made of the finest lace, I gently took it from her gloved hand and opened it. There were tons of envelopes that were a soft pink and had my name written across them in familiar cursive. Their edges were worn though, showing that they may have witnessed some time weathering events.

Rōzu began to excuse herself, saying that she would meet us later at the underground duels. Just as she was turning away, I reached out and grasped her hand. Her eyes immediately met mine as I shifted to stand in front of her. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done," I nearly croaked. My throat was nearly closed at this point from emotion that I was keeping locked up.

She glanced down at our hands then back up to me, slipping her hand from mine. "Yusei-" Her expression suddenly tightened, her hands flying to her head. "Sorry, I'll see you tonight." And without another word, she turned and hurried away, pausing at the archway. "Be sure to read them before coming. They will shed some light for you."

"Thank you," I bowed my head in her direction and she disappeared into the distance. My eyes turned to the pair of gravestones behind me. "Which one should we read first?"

* * *

Thank you to everyone being patient with me and supporting me during this tough time. Let me know your thoughts!

 **In Memory of Christine**

 **June 17, 1974 - March 13, 2018**


	15. Tear Stained Petals

Big thanks to everyone for being so patient with me as I'm going through this rough time, your support and comments help keep my spirits up. Where do I begin… My Grammie passed away a few hours after I left the hospital. I'm glad I was able to spend that time with her. Sadly, we were in a very serious accident on our way home from her funeral. The car was totaled, and it was discovered that I've suffered a brain injury. We are still trying to figure out what all is going on but at least I can still move around and speak. You can probably tell in this chapter where my memory has slipped and I apologize ahead of time. If that wasn't enough, I've lost a close member of the family in her fight with nervical and brain cancer, so things have been pretty hard for me. Losing two people that I cared for immensely hurt my spirit and I'm so thankful that I have such loving people around me. A cousin on my side who has started high school was just diagnosed with latent TB and Crohn's Disease. Crohn's has no cure and the latent TB could become active at any time. Everything just seems to be doing downhill for my side of the family…

UPDATE: I've been undergoing multiple tests to understand what is happening and I will be letting you all know what we find.

Anyway, they are patient and extremely supportive, and I am so thankful for them and you all. Here we go, let's see what happens!

* * *

 **Tear Stained Petals**

My grip on the package never slacked on the way home, keeping it tucked under my left arm as my duel runner slipped through traffic. The other two duel runners were gone when I returned, and I was silently thankful. This was the perfect opportunity. My relief dissipated as something grabbed me from behind as I made to ascend the staircase. "Martha, hello." I forced my lips to lift into a smile as she crossed her arms. She had a stern look on her face that was clear as day. "Don't worry, I had something to eat not too long ago."

"That is not what I was wanting to hear," she shook her head. A sympathetic softness entered her eyes as she mentioned that I had left before the sun had risen, something unlike myself. "Where on earth were you going at such an early hour?" It seemed as if a lightbulb lit up in her head as she looked into my eyes intensely. "Oh, Yusei, I'm sorry to have drilled you like that."

"It's alright." Although I was far taller than her, she flung her arms around me as I briefed her on my visit and I found my head resting against her shoulder. Her hand rubbed circles across my back, and I could help but find it soothing. That is, until they began working their way to my sides. My eyes shot open as I took a step away in time to see a mischievous glint in her eye before she had a chance to hide it. "Nice try, Martha. How about some pasta for lunch? Crab Alfredo with Angel Hair sounds good." Shaking her head, she waved me off stating that she would think about it as she disappeared into the kitchen. The breath I didn't know I was holding released in a sigh as I glanced down at the parcel in my hand.

It wasn't until I was settled at my desk that I finally removed its lid and placed it off to the side as I focused on the rose hued envelopes. There were a few with Jack and Crow's names, there were even a few for Martha and her parents, but most of them had my name. They were slightly faded and frayed on the edges but they were in fairy good condition. Hopefully the letters were in similar condition. With shaking fingers, I picked up one that had short script written on back flap: "Behold the key…and thee shall read". My eyes widened as I pulled out the letter and found it to be written incoherently. Reaching into one of my desk drawers, I pulled out an old leather-bound booklet and began flipping through the pages. We four had created a code that only we would know and I praised my younger self for writing everything about it down. I had nearly forgotten about our secret language and I couldn't help but mentally ridicule myself for it. After some time, I had it translated!

 _"Let me start out with a question, let's treat it like a confession. Can see that you be stressin'. Tell me, are you okay? Every day has been a lesson, been prayin' for a blessin', but nothing ever changes so you hope for better days. Ask me about where I been. Been at war, I been battlin'." (source: The Key, B Wise)_

 _A little cheesy, I know, but I felt it was appropriate. I don't know how much time has passed, there's no way for us to know. Has it been a month, maybe a year? Have you gotten taller? I bet your hair still sticks up. I'm not sure when you will get this, but I just wanted you to know that I miss you terribly. I miss you so much it hurts. There are so few nights that I manage to fall asleep and I dream of seeing you again, but I always seem to wake up just as you're hugging me. I had a dream the other night. It was so real that I woke to find myself in tears. I was back home sitting in garden with mother while you, Jack, and Crow practiced your dueling near one of the fountains. The sun was so bright and there are petals falling everywhere. The roses were in full bloom, my bushes were beginning show some real progress. How are they, everyone?_

A lump formed in my throat as it went on to ask about her parents and the other two. She was so worried about everyone else more than herself and that was pure Akiza. My hands holding the letter slightly shook my eyes fell on a paragraph that had been written in black ink unlike the rest of the letter.

 _I'm not sure where we are, it's always dark and there aren't any windows. The one with the mask brings us food, but it's not very much and sometimes it's not until right before light's out. They have me in a room with another girl, there was a third but she was taken away, she's a lot tougher than I am. She makes me think of Crow a little. We share a mattress and blanket, but it gets really cold when the lights go out. They gave us a small flashlight, which comes in handy but it's not very strong. We have to be quiet too. If we're too loud, they threaten to separate us._

Anger bubbled in me as a horrible scene began to come together in my mind's eye. Cold cement walls, bare lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, small stained mattress and blanket in a lone corner, bugs and rodents crawling over everything. I shivered at the thought of the arachnids crawling over her being, my own fear of bugs beginning to cause the hairs on my body to stand straight. Shaking the thoughts of the creepy crawlers away, I refocused on the letter as the writing returned to the red ink.

 _We are safe. Well, at least we have shelter. But…I'm scared. The other girl,_ _Rōzu, tells me that they wouldn't hurt us without a reason. If that were true, then why did they drag that other girl out by her hair?_

 _Yusei, what do they want with us? Why was I taken away from you?_

"I wish I knew." My hand clenched into a fist on the desk surface, turning my knuckles white but I paid them no mind as she continued, the ink slightly smudged in a few places. It felt as though someone stabbed me through the heart as I realized that they were tear tracks. She had been crying while writing this letter! Helplessness washed over me as I clutched the letter to my chest, my eyes watering as I envisioned her crouching under a blanket with a tiny flashlight while crying silently to keep from getting caught.

A hand fell on my shoulder and pulled me away from the desk, my forehead resting upon something soft. I didn't question when Martha had come in and I couldn't help but feel thankful that she had as she began to rock back and forth. Not once did she say anything as my heart wept, the letter clenched tightly in my grasp and the silent tears I shed dampened her clothing. "She's a strong girl, Yusei, you have to have faith." I could only shake my head as I clung to her.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Crow and Jack returned and we were cleaning up after lunch that I distributed the letters. Martha offered to take the ones for the Izinski's and accepted her own with the smallest of smiles. The other two branched off and headed to their own homes, unsurprisingly, and I was left alone for the first time since this started. Everything around me within those short few weeks had turned gray, devoid of color and meaning. The decorations and wall hangings that I once admired for their color where now washed out in grayscale. My eyes fell on the box as I sat at the desk, my hands reaching out and bringing it closer, the only thing containing color in my faded world. I nearly flinched as a wave of rose flooded the room as I lifted the lid to reveal the letters that I had yet to read.

With each one I opened, the rosy hue grew in vibrance and soon filled the whole room. It wasn't until I had reached for another that I noticed the strange warmth that had filled my now rose-colored room. My eyes rose from the box towards the thermostat near the light switch and froze. At the foot of my bed stood a transparent figure with mahogany hair. "Akiza." I shifted so that I was sitting close to end of the bed so that I was closer, my eyes never leaving her caramel. She looked just like she did last time, as if she hadn't grown since the last time any of us had seen her.

Her image waivered as she smiled. "I see you got my letters." Sadness entered her eyes as I nodded. "I'm sorry it took so long for you to get them."

I shook my head. "No, it's alright. You had many other things to worry about."

"It looks like you still have a couple more," she glanced at the box where the remaining letters waited. "If you'd like, I can read them for you. Then again," her smile fell. "I'm not sure I can."

"How are you here?" The question slipped through my lips before I had a chance to stop it.

She didn't seem bothered by it one bit and smiled. "I had to practice a lot, but I finally managed to attach a little piece of me to each of the letters." Realization dawned on me as I recalled the smeared wording in some of the letters. "I found that if I left a trace of myself, I could project a version of myself."

"Wait, so when you appeared last time," I glanced across the room at the guitar case that I had rested against one of the armchairs. "it was because you left a trace of yourself on that?"

"It wasn't the easiest, that's for sure," she chuckled. "it was so faint I wasn't sure it would work."

"And the phone calls of piano music." My heart clenched tightly as she nodded. "You've been able to do all of that with your gift." Her eyes widened at my words. Never once had I referred to it as a curse like everyone else around her did. Every time they did, we witnessed her pain grow to the point where she would cry herself to sleep. We could always tell by the tear tracks the next morning.

Her gaze fell to the floor as she waivered before becoming the mature vision that I had seen last time. My eyes widened as her arms rose and wrapped them around herself, bringing my attention to her appearance and something that turned my stomach. Nearly black vines were entwining themselves around her wrists and worked their way up her arms until they disappeared beneath the cap sleeves of her dress lilac colored dress. There was a strange cylinder barrette in her hair that held back what I assumed were supposed to be bangs, a nearly similar circular choker around her throat and wrists. Her hair that reached her waist had a gradient effect that I could see now that we were closer, beginning with her natural mahogany hue and gradually turning black as they reached the tips. The hem of her dress reached past her knees, exposing thin calves that were covered in black stockings. "I've become this strong, and yet I'm powerless."

I raised a hand to reach out to her, but I let it fall beck down to the bed as I remembered what had happened the last time I had tried. Instead, I patted the bed in a silent invitation for her to sit and once she had, I picked up one of the letters. "Can you feel this?" I asked, gently running my fingers over some of the blurred ink. Confusion filled her features but she replied with a small nod. As gently as if I was holding a delicate flower, I brought it to my chest and pressed it against my heart. "I won't give up, Akiza, so please don't give up on yourself." Tears began pouring down her cheeks the longer I held the letter. My eyes met hers as she choked back a sob, silently telling her that it was okay to cry. As they fell from her face, they seemed to transform into petals that were soon blanketing the bed.

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Let me know your thoughts! I can't wait to hear form you!


	16. Delight or Deception

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! Thank you all for being patient and taking the time to give this a read, you are all VERY appreciated! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds! Let's get started!

* * *

 **Deception or Delight**

"Would someone explain to me why we have to wear these ridiculous outfits again?!" Crow pouted, his arms crossing over his chest as Martha lightly smacked him upside the head. It was later that evening and the time to meet up with Rōzu was approaching. Much to their displeasure, they had no choice but to resort to the disguises that they had worn before to conceal their identity. "Why couldn't have we gone Western style with bandanas?"

"You want to get shot?" she asked, placing the final touches on his hair. He simply huffed and focused his attention on me as I finished putting in the new color contacts that Rōzu had suggested for all of us. They were engineered to better protect our retinas and irises from being traceable in case anyone took our photos without us knowing. Mine were a gold color, reminding me of a Tiger Eye stone; Crow's were hazel, which contrasted interestingly with his natural gray; Jack's were a brown so dark they were almost black. "You said the dye washed out after a few days, so why are you whining so much? Halloween was one of your favorite holidays, when did that change?"

"When he dressed up as Ditto and people thought he was a deformed Peep." A smile lifted my lips despite my best efforts. I mentioned that we needed to hurry if we were going to meet up with Rōzu on time. Jack sent me a stern look from the corner of the mirror he had been using to check his appearance when I told him that enough was enough with his constant adjusting and hair altering. The need for action had been building ever since I had finished reading the letters and I couldn't stand still anymore. I suggested that they meet up with me when they were finished, slipping my shoes on and slipping out the door, not bothering to wait for their answers. A sigh slipped from between my lips as I opened the garage door to reveal my D-wheel. With a quick mount and the roar of its engine, I tore off into the night. The cool air felt almost refreshing as I wove my way through traffic, my eyes glancing upward at the clear sky. Many of the stars were bright and glittering while others seemed close enough to touch.

"Pretty, aren't they?" For some reason, I wasn't too surprised when a familiar female voice came through my console. "She mentioned that you all had nicknames but would never tell me what they were."

"Not surprising, since hers in particular was very hurtful." I switched the autopilot on as I pulled my deck from its holster, placed it in the shuffler, and placed a single card on a projector square. In a shower of glitter, my most prized card roared to life and took its place above me. "Each nickname was given to us by different people. Mine, for example, was given to me by my parents."

"Shooting Star, right?"

I nodded. "Ever since I was born, they had called me that. They weren't surprised when I told them that I wanted to take up dueling over sports. Akiza was the first one I told. You would have thought I was speaking Greek when I began explaining the rules of dueling." A chuckle escaped me as her bewildered expression flashed across my mind. "She was supportive though and even took a liking to the game."

"Your parents turned out to be right."

"More so than I think they could ever guess," I nodded as Stardust Dragon maneuvered so that it was coasting behind me. "I never would have thought that Stardust and I would save the world like we did."

"You're referring to the natural disasters that happened a few years ago? How would you have played apart of something like that?"

"Do you believe in balance?"

"Fair enough. So, Shooting Star, tell me how you saved the world." I asked if she heard of the Nazka Lines and she laughed. "You can't be serious."

"The giant glowing monsters that appeared on the next continent over were the beasts that were confined in the lines. They were released by someone, we still don't know who, and were left to rampage on innocents. That someone had disturbed a balance, the natural balance of light and darkness." She remained silent as I went into further detail of what each beast looked like and that we had to depend on our bonds as friends to defeat each and every one of them. Stardust growled softly as I mentioned its finishing move that eradicated the final beast that turned out to be a vulture-like creature. "None of those people would be alive if it weren't for what we did."

"You expect me to believe that you three with the help of _dueling_ fended off those things?" Rōzu's voice dripped with doubt. Stardust's answering roar echoed around them and bounced off the surrounding buildings, making them even louder. She protested the noise, but I pretended not to hear her as my dragon almost seemed to chuckle to itself before returning to its card.

I killed my engine as the warehouse came into view and pulled into a parking garage a few blocks away. Arming my D-wheel and removing my helmet, I turned in time to see the other two come up the ramp. They were bickering and were oblivious to the glossy black limo that had pulled up on my other side. Turning, I opened the car door to reveal a girl with chin length black hair and was wearing an plunging dress with a red sash around her waist. Ballet-like ribbons were wrapped around her ankles and wrists, and there was what I presumed to be an imitation katana sheath hanging from a skull on her hip. Her lips and eyeliner were a blood red, just like the contacts she was wearing. "Tasteful and simple." I complimented as she raised a questioning eyebrow. "Yura of the Hair."

"Wow…" Rōzu's eyes glancing at my own disguise. "At least I don't look like any of you. Why didn't you go for something a little more tasteful? Jack would have made an excellent Elias from _Wizardess Heart_ and Crow, with the right hair styling and gold contacts, would have been an excellent Train Heartnet from _Black Cat_." Hearing her comment, they instantly quieted and fixated on her as she shook her head in a pitying manner as she walked around each of us. "Well, we won't have to worry about someone recognizing you. They are a bit…extravagant, but they get the job done."

"How come she gets to look all hot and we look like characters from _Yellow Submarine_?!" Crow kicked a nearby concrete pillar.

"There's nothing to do about it now," Rōzu's hands rested on her hips, briefly waving to Edgar before leading the way to the warehouse. This is the perfect opportunity to blend in with the locals. Not sure if you've noticed, but your contacts do more than conceal your iris signatures. They take photos every time you blink and records 4k video from the moment they settle in your eyes. A copy of everything is sent to the laptop Edgar is using but be sure to return them at the end of the night so I can analyze the raw footage."

Though the distance was short and the neighborhood usually quiet, but the streets were filled with people and there was loud music coming from multiple Bluetooth speakers that lined the streets tonight. They were dressed in everything from gaming to anime to famous celebrities. Adults and teens, judging from the heights. A red flag made itself known in my mind as a much shorter figure darted into the warehouse we were planning on entering. Slipping inside, we quickly found Toño and were paired up with our respective dueling partners. Mine was a woman dressed as a swordswoman with long crimson hair. The duel ended nearly as quickly as it had started; my deck easily defeating her own that was full of knight-like cards. We were quickly paired with other duelists once the formalities had been finalized and I was soon paired with a man dressed as a bald monk with six orange dots on his forehead, another familiar character from an anime I knew. He too fell to the power of my deck. I was able to catch up with Jack and Crow once they had finished their own duels. "Anything?"

"Other than me realizing that I blink more times than I can keep track, no." Crow sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Where did our fearless banshee go?"

"Demon, moron, I'm a demon." Rōzu rolled her eyes, appearing next to me. "There's some big even going on tonight. The winner of the duels will be paired with the Mystery Duelist. Evidently, they have been around for a while, but they are super secretive about their identity. Only problem is that it's a tag duel." She held up a hand as Jack's mouth opened. "Yusei's deck paired with my intellect would be the best option." One of my eyebrows rose. She had wanted to stay in the shadows ever since this whole things started, and now she wanted to be a major playing role? She slid an arm around my own as the next set of duels were announced. "Shall we?"

Our opponents were dressed as the famous duo from _Black Butler_ , one short dressed in old English attire while the other tall and dressed in a tailcoat. Their decks were powerful and worked well with each other; one full of dark and light attributes while the other was filled with traps that would have rendered any other deck useless. I wasn't too surprised to find her own deck trap-loaded but the monsters she used reflected her love of computers. The pair after them were another tall and short combo, but they were both men with unruly black hair; one deck focused on pure strength while the other was more strategically balanced. Neither could hold a candle to our decks though and the two Saiyans fell.

"Where'd you learn?" I asked as we waited to be paired up again. I recalled the subtle hints and signs that she had given when she was about to make a move or to give me the go ahead to make my own. "Very poker worthy."

Her shoulders rose slightly. "She taught me the basics. It helped pass the time."

"How did you get away?" The question slipped out before I even realized it had. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"No," she shook her head. "don't apologize for being curious. I wouldn't blame you if you held it against me either." Her arms rose and wrapped around herself as tilted her head in the direction of the multiple food vendor stalls that had been installed. She took a deep breath through her nose as she placed an order for a _Jack Skelling-tini_ for herself and handed me a _Butterbeer_ as the cocktail was placed on the counter. The butterscotch drink slid over my tongue pleasantly enough and judging from her blissful expression, hers was more than satisfactory. She grabbed my arm and pulled me to one of the empty tables. I raised an eyebrow as her eyes darted around, briefly resting on each person that passed by before resting on my own and directing them to the table in time to see her glass levitate slightly. "I wasn't as strong as she was and they were going to do away with me as they had the other girls." She held up a hand as my mouth opened. "I didn't say anything at first because I needed to be sure of your feelings towards this…ability."

Realization hit me in the gut as she briefly glanced up at me. "She used her powers, sacrificing her own chance for escape to save you." The hand that was holding my drink tightened as I attempted to keep my breathing and heart relaxed.

"You don't sound surprised," she whispered. "I guess you knew her better than I did. I used to wish that she had saved herself instead of me. I cursed my weakness even though I put on a brave face." With a quick toss, she drained her glass and gestured for me to finish my own drink as they announced the second to last duel. "Hurry up. It's time to repay an old debt."

Quickly finishing my drink, I followed her to the taped off ring that sat in the center of the warehouse. The red flag from before rose in the back of my mind as a our opponents took their places. They were no taller than my waist, one black with a blue gem on their forehead and the other white with a red gem with their hair styled into ear-like shapes. Their costumes were simple and well known to anyone who was a CLAMP fan. I tapped the face of my digital watch and sent a quick message to Toño. Within seconds he appeared next to us and put up a motion to halt the duel as I requested. Walking forward, I dropped to a knee in front of them. "What are you two doing here?"

The black one sputtered and struggled for words before the white one intervened. "I'm sorry, Yusei, but I heard it." Luna whispered, her expression twisting with distress as Leo removed the blue gem from his forehead. "It's here, I know it is."

"Where?" I asked, waving Rōzu over as the young girl said that she heard it in one of the upper level rooms. With quick introductions, I sent the two off to find Jack and Crow. Toño officially terminated the duel and crowd that had gathered roared in approval as the final duel was announced. Alarm filled me as a duo wearing white masks and dressed in long wine red robes emerged from the shadows; one mask with black lines and the other with red. The one with black lines seemed distracted, it's attention fixated on their companion as they blew kisses to the crowd. There were a couple inches difference between the two but they were adults. The one with red lines paused in front of me as we were asked to shake hands as a sign of acknowledgment for one another. I accepted the gloved hand they offered and though their hand was smaller than my own, it had a tight grip.

"May the best duelist win." The crowd around us faded as they spoke, it's distorted and filtered voice reverberating in the space between us. Their companion pulled them backward so they stood close to twelve feet from me. The crowd instantly hushed as the one with red lines raised a hand. "Shall we make things interesting? Loser reveals their identity."

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Ooooooooh things have gotten spicy! Let me know your thoughts!


	17. A Wicked Smile

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter! Thank you all for being patient and taking the time to give this a read, you are all VERY appreciated! I don't own rights to YuGiOh! 5Ds! Let's get started!

* * *

 **A Wicked Smile**

I couldn't believe the skill the duo had. Were they pros who had dropped off the grid? No, I would recognize their decks; one was made of psychic related cards while the other consisted of fire attributes. It was easy to see that they had been the top ranked for so long. My eyes occasionally drifted from my opponents to the crowd around us. Where were the others? I activated my Scrap Iron Scarecrow as they attacked, ending the one with red lines' attack and drew a card. "My turn."

A scream came from somewhere in the crowd, quickly joined by multiple shouts as hands pointed upwards. The three of us jumped backward as rubble dropped from the ceiling. One of them, the one with black lines, drew their companion back as they moved to investigate the rubble that had formed but was shoved back. It was as they were reaching for the rubble when a familiar figure sprung from it. Right before my very eyes, Rōzu appeared and tore the mask from their face. It was as if the world was turned upside down as the two Rōzus glared at one another. "I knew you would be here." The one who had been wearing a mask sent me a wink as I asked what was going on. "We're all friends here, but I would love to get to know you more."

"Don't listen to anything she says," the Rōzu dressed as Yura warned me as I skeptically glanced between the two. She eyes flashed with anger as her look-alike grasped her by the wrist and pulled her into an embrace. "you're nothing but an empty shell."

"And yet I'm much stronger than you in every sense of the word," the other whispered, her black matte covered lips lifting into a smirk. Her attention shifted to me as she separated herself. "Why don't we go somewhere more private?" With a snap of her fingers, the scenery blurred and became an empty room with no furnishings or other entries except for the lone door that rested behind the cloaked Rōzu. The only light that came in was from the door's single 2x2 window, bathing the room in a subtle light that was ever shifting in colors. We must still be in the warehouse! I was snapped from my thoughts as the cloak fell away to reveal a skin-tight leather suite covered in buckles and cat-like gloves covering her hands as she fixed the cat ear adorned headband in her long pitch black hair. "You always wanted to try this costume, but you were always so shy and timid. It looks better on me anyway." One of her hands rested on the right side of her chest while the other rested on her left thigh, striking a pose. The Rōzu dressed as Yura turned away, her face pale despite the tinge of pink in her cheeks. I sent the Catwoman dressed Rōzu a warning look as she approached. "Let me guess, she's told you about her minimalistic abilities, right? Did she ever mention how much she despised them?" My gaze shot to the other as they flinched.

"I didn't want them!" The room resounded with her cry as tears began to trickle down her face. Her teary eyes met my own and I was taken aback by the desperation they held. "They caused the people that I cared for most to treat me as I was a monster! My mother and father, even my brother! It was an accident, but they didn't believe me when I said that the car moved on its own nor did they believe me when I said the china cabinet had fallen on its own. That's why I went with the man with the mask who came after father had fallen asleep. I believed his promise of taking away my powers so I could be what society calls 'normal'. I wanted nothing more than for the powers to be gone, I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

My mind felt as if it were drowning, but I held fast. "You said a man dressed in black took you away." They both nodded. "Who was he?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the catwoman Rōzu purred, turning her full attention to the girl across from her. "Come back to me, I can protect you from what's to come. I'm stronger than I once was and I promise I won't lose control like I did that time."

Alarm filled me at her words. "What are you talking about?"

"We were better when we were one, so why are you fighting it so much? You must have noticed that your powers are slowly returning so why not go back to the way we were? He isn't angry at you for running away, he's just worried about your safety." Her lips brushed the other's forehead, coaxing them to look at her instead of me. My eyes widened as she spoke of them becoming one again. The catwoman Rōzu glanced my way. "You're correct. We were once the same person."

"Is anything she is saying true?" I asked, looking to the other as she shook her head. "You told me that you were taken from your home, that Akiza helped you escape from wherever they were holding you."

"Everything I told you was the truth." her eyes met mine, revealing honesty. "He gave me a choice, the one in black: lifelong torture at the hands of the ones who were supposed to love me or going with someone who promised that they could make me normal, the choice was obvious! Akiza and I were kept in the same room for a short while before she helped me escape. By that time though, the split had already occurred. They promised that I would be released once it was complete, but they lied and kept me in captivity for all that time. When I had gotten out of there, I went back to the family I had, hoping that in all the time that I had been gone had caused them to change. They were the same though!"

"You should have seen their expressions when they saw me." The Catwoman Rōzu slipped behind her, one hand grasping at the other's hip while the other grasped their chin and forced her head to tilt to the left as her black lips nibbled the shell of the ear. "They had locked her up in the basement for over a week with only a loaf of bread and a bucket to punish her for running away." My gut twisted at the nearly predatory look that crossed their face. "Do you know what they did to her before she left?"

"Everyone has their own story," I pointed out. "Akiza must have told you all about how she struggled with her powers but not once did she take it out on those around her."

"Night after night, father would sneak into her bed and have his way with her then disappear before morning. He acted as though nothing was wrong when they all sat at the kitchen table for breakfast. Mother knew, of course, and would punish her in the most inhumane ways. Her older brother wanted in on the action and soon joined her father and mother. There were some nights when he would decide to use her as his personal slave."

I couldn't help the horror that filled me as realization hit me in the gut. "You killed your own family."

"It was them or us." The catwoman Rōzu tsked her tongue as the other began to cry. Her lips lifted into a blissful smile as she tightened her hold on the other. "First it was the bitch. She didn't even see it coming, since she was so concerned about the house being a mess when members of her book club were coming later that afternoon. So focused was she that she didn't even hear me come up behind her while she was vacuuming the parlor and it wasn't until my power had her pinned to the ground that she began to fight back. By that time though, the vacuum's cable was already wrapped around her scrawny throat. The look on her face as she struggled was…" I suppressed a shiver of horror as a blissful expression crossed their face. "but it was nothing compared to her father's. Imagine his surprise when I welcomed him home from work by taking him upstairs! He was greatly enjoying the attention I was giving him, but I had other plans in mind. While he was so set on finishing, he didn't even notice the steak knife that appeared from between the headboard and bed. His face was so twisted in agony as it was shoved it up his rectum. The screams that came from his lips would have caught unwanted attention so I sliced off his sack and shoved them down his throat."

Rōzu cried, her arms rising to wrap around herself. "I heard everything from the basement and wanted nothing more than to make the hurt them stop! I just wanted the pain to stop!"

"And then it was dear big brother's turn." Catwoman Rōzu turned the other so that they were face to face, resting her cheek against the other's as one arm wrapped around their waist and the other began to stroke their hair. "I moved her so called parents into her bed and covered them up with blankets. Brother came home from school and barged into her room, ready for some fun. It wasn't until he had finished twice that he began to notice there were more in the bed that usual. I flipped the lights on and revealed that he had been pleasing himself using her father's behind while making out with her mother. He was so horrified and angry that he vowed to make me pay. However, he never got the chance. I had laced mother's mouth with rat poison and he had gotten a heavy dose of it." A sick twisted smile lifted her lips as I took a step back. "And sweet little Omocha here, never had to lift a finger. I, her powers, did all the work for her!"

"I went into hiding and created a whole new identity for myself after she freed me from the basement, refusing her offer of joining the one who had split us. My real name is Omocha and as my name suggests, my existence meant nothing to the family I was born to." The tears that had been spilling down her cheeks ceased, leaving trails of mascara. "It wasn't until I met you that I began to feel like a real human being again and I suddenly found myself wanting to help you in any way I could. I had to repay Akiza for her help, and this is the only way I can." In one smooth motion, she fully faced her other self and embraced her fully, her blood red lips meeting black ones.

Shock filled me as their outlines began to blur, their figures growing translucent then solid as they merged into one. I rushed forward as she fell to her knees, her hands holding her head. "Rōzu!" Her face was filled with pain and her eyes were wide and glazed as they darted about the room. "Snap out of it!"

With a start, her eyes cleared and she clung to my clothing. "I know where she is! She's at-" The world froze as the glass window in the door shattered. Panic rose in my being as blood seeped from between her lips, my eyes immediately finding the bullet hole embedded in her shoulder. "You have…to save her…"

"Rōzu, stay with me!" I moved to collect her in my arms, to move her to somewhere else, but fell backward as an invisible force pushed me away. The force was so strong that the wall I collided with caved, collapsing it and causing me to fly into the other room as her lips moved. The last thing I saw before the darkness closed in was the appearance of another bullet hole…this time, in her forehead.

When I regained consciousness, it felt as if something was trying to choke me. "I know you're awake," a distorted voice whispered in my ear as what I thought were fingers tighten their hold around my neck. "Listen to me well, if you wish to save your friend. Stop coming to this place, you won't find her here. You must look in the place that she would never return to if she had a choice. There, in that place, you will find a clue." All breath left me as the hands clenched, causing me to blackout once more but not before I caught site of a smile. It held no joy…all it held was wickedness.


End file.
